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RADOR: News from Romania, 97-04-08
April 8, 1997
CONTENTS
[01] Romanian Government in Action;
[02] A German Guest for Prime Minister Ciorbea;
[03] End of Romania's Monitoring;
[04] New Romanian Efforts for NATO integration;
[05] Romanian-Ukrainean Relations;
[06] Weather in Romania.
[01] Romanian government in action
The Romanian government has passed a bill on the privatization of banks
with majority state capital. The draft will be submitted to parliamentary
debates in an emerency procedure. Minister of reform Ulm Spineanu has said
the new draft law abides shares which are now managed by the State
Ownership Fund and also increases the share capital of majority state-owned
banks, from private capital contributions which will be established after
public or private biddings. Under the new draft law, Romanian and foreign
banks operating in Romania shall not ggrant credits for the purchase of
shares in banks that are being privatised. Minister of reform Ulm Spineanu
added that th government would soon OK a package of Aaws and regulations
such as a law amending the foreign investment law and another draft meant
to stimulate and encouurage domestic businessmen.
In another move, the government also decided to cut down tariffs for
imported farming products Consequently, average customs duties will not
exceed 27% and maximum 60% of the value of the goods. Imports of alcohol,
beverages, tobacco and cigarettes will not be exempted from these custom
duties. Government representatives say the new tariffs will ease further
imports and exports and will make Romanian goods safer and stimulate
domestic business.RRI-RADOR, April 8
[02] A German guest for prime mminister Ciorbea
On a visit to Romania, Horst Waffen Schimidt, parliamentary secretary of
state in the German Home Ministry, was received by Romanian prime minister
Victor Ciorbea. Mr Schmidt said the German government attached special
attention to its relations with Romania, the level of civil society
included. In his turn, prime minister Ciorbea sAid the Romanian government
was interested in the settlement of the German ethnics in Romania and in
resolving the situation of those who want to return to Romania. Three weeks
ago, the Romanian minister of public information Radu Boroianu told the
newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine" that Bucharest encouraged the return to
Romania of the German ethnics who immigrated to Germany. They will be given
back their homes and lands and all the other assets that were confiscated
by former communist regime. About half a million people who belonged to the
Germen minority of Romania now live in Germany and only 50,000 remained in
the country.RRI-RADOR, April 8
[03] End of Romania's monitoring
Legal commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
approved on Monday Gunnar Jansson's report which requests that the special
monitoring of Romania should halt. According to Romanian television this is
a sign that, in the past three years of permanent monitoring, Romannia has
provedAit has observed human rights. However, the legal commission warns
that, unless Romania amends its current legislation in certain fields, like
the independence of the judiciary, freedom of the press, access to
information, regime of the homosexuals and the attitude towards foreigners,
the monitoring will resume. The session of the legal commission of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is attended, on the behalf
of Romania, by deputy Adrian Nastase, first vicepresident of the oposition
PDSR party, and by senator Gyorgy Frunda of the Democratic Union of Ethnic
Hungarians, a party of the ruling coalition. Even though the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians had pleaded for the continuation of monitoring,
senator Gyorgy Frunda said in Paris on Monday that the new rulers in
Bucharest had now both political will and the power to achieve the
commitments Romania made back in 1993. The final decision on ending the
special monitoring upon Romania will be debated during the sAssion of
Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly.RRI-RADOR, April 8
[04] New Romanian efforts for NATO integration
The Romanian diplomacy is increasing its efforts, this time at a
parliamentary level, for our country's integration into NATO. Romanian MPs
are visiting three NATO member states that had not expressed yet their
support for Romania's joining the Alliance. Among them there are also
members of the oposition who were part of the executive in the past years.
After attending a working session in London on matters related to the
enlarged Partnership for Peace and NATO's expansion, Ioan Mircea Pascu,
president of the defence commission in the House of Deputies is to visit
the USA. During his meetings with US congressmen, Pascu will try to
ascertain the stance of the US legislature on Romania's candidacy to NATO
and to contribute to Romania's assertion as an applicant with chances. We
recall in the context that Brussels has recently hosted the forth round of
the intensAfied individual dialogue Romania-NATO. Constantin Dudu Ionescu,
state secretary with the National Defence Ministry, has told us that
Romania's only option is its joining the Alliance and time is its only
enemy; the political class in Bucharest must combine efforts to overcome
this time lag by the Madrid summit due for July. In reply t an editorial
carried out by the British magazine "The Economist", which explicitely
stands against Romania's inclusion into NATO, saying that "Bucharest would
be the weak link" of th Alliance's defence capacity, the Romanian dignitary
has told the BBC that our country has become a very serious partner after
the elections of November 1996. He has appreciated that, from a military,
economic and geographical point of view, Romania should be taken into
account as much as Poland.RRI-RADOR, April 8
[05] Romanian-Ukrainean relations
Romanian foreign minister Adrian Severin estimates a meeting between the
presidents of Romania and Ukraine, Emil ConstantinAscu and Leonid Kucima,
would be an important step in the consolidation of strategic relations. The
statement comes after Radio Ukraine announced president Kucima was ready to
meet his Romanian counterpart in a bid to step up the process of solving
the differeces between the two countries. Kucima said after Emil
Constantinescu was elected as president, the Romanian-Ukrainean ties have
improved. The latest round of negociations on the bilateral treaty
concluded on March 29 without any notable results. As the Romanian foreign
minister said Romania was interested in acting for the consolidation of
stability and sovereignity in Ukraine and for guaranteeing its territorial
integrity. RRI-RADOR, April 8
[06] Weather in Romania
Weather in Romania is unexpectedly cold for this time of the year. The sky
is cloudy and some snow falls are expected in the North of the country.
Temperatures will range from 2 to 10 centigrades. RADOR, April 8
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