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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-02-09
February 9, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] DP - still in favour of a new government
[02] Press conference of the DP branch in Suceava
[03] "The country deserves a CDNPP Government"
[04] Alliance for Romania party takes a stand
[05] Sanitas Federation on token strike
[06] WEU Assembly President Luis Maria de Puig has arrived in Bucharest
[07] "The Council of Europe made no recommendations as far as the
minorities' higher education is concerned", Minister Andrei Marga explains
[08] Tribute to Iuliu Maniu
[09] A raise of the licence tax on broadcasting
[01] DP - still in favour of a new government
In an interview with RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI, the leader of the
Democratic Party (DP) Petre Roman said his party is still favouring a new
government, "more efficient, more credible, based on a reduced scheme, more
efficient on its way to reform, more committed". He said DP, as member of
the governing coalition, "expresses its committment to support, through
both its MPs and its members all over the country, the reforms the
coalition has agreed". There is no reform programme in that 'restitution in
integrum' principle", Petre Roman stressed. RADOR
[02] Press conference of the DP branch in Suceava
During a press conference organised by the DP branch in Suceava on Sunday,
DP Senator Cristian Dumitrescu said that the end of the DP-CDNPP crisis put
also an end to a rather agitated period of incertitude in Romanian
political life. According to RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI, the senator
announced the beginning of a transition period which could allow the reform
to resume. Senator Dunitrescu stressed that his party has proved its
ability to finalise a political approach and, the positive image excepted,
the only task which has been achieved it is the party's ability to deny
allegations that DP has joined the coalition only to get more high ranking
jobs and privileged positions. "Our political approach starts with the
reform and ends with it", PD Senator Cristian Dunitrescu concluded. RADOR
[03] "The country deserves a CDNPP Government"
During an Alba Iulia branch conference on Sunday, vicepresident of the
Christian-Democrat National Peasant Party (CDNPP) Remus Opris declared that
the country deserves an overall CDNPP Government as a result of the next
elections. Together with Vicepresident Mircea Popa Zatna and CDNPP
secretaries Razvan Dobrescu and Virgil Petrescu, Mr. Opris is representing
the party's leadership at the conference of the CDNPP branch in Alba Iulia.
According to RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI, delegates are expected to present a
report on the activity of the branch after the November elections, and they
are to elect the new leadership of the CDNPP branch in Alba county. RADOR
[04] Alliance for Romania party takes a stand
According to RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI, the vicepresident of the Alliance
for Romania party (AfR) Marian Enache has strongly criticized SDPR's
intention to order the obstruction of AfR in its effort to form branches
throughout the country. In a statement he made in the Moldavian city of
Iassy, Mr Enache has claimed that recent threats made by the SDPR First
Vicepresident Adrian Nastase were unprecedented in our political life after
1989, and they prove that the SDPR (Party of Social Democracy in Romania)
does not really wish a closer relation between the social-democrat parties'
leadership. Marian Enache accuses the SDPR that it chose to act in an
extremist and dictatorial way, instigating its members against the
AfR.RADOR
[05] Sanitas Federation on token strike
In a statement made to ROMPRES news agency, Sanitas Federation leader
Marius Petcu said that the token strike on Monday will last two hours,
medical services will be cut by a third, and only emergencies will be
covered. He stressed that the main demand is a 100% raise in wages. If the
trade unionists' demands will be not accepted during the meeting on Monday
with Government officials, then the Sanitas Federation National Council
will order a general strike starting from Tuesday, RADIO ROMANIA
ACTUALITATI reports. RADOR
[06] WEU Assembly President Luis Maria de Puig has arrived in Bucharest
The President of the WEU Assembly, Mr Luis Maria de Puig has arrived in
Bucharest on Sunday evening for an official visit. On Wednesday, February
11, the WEU Assembly president is due in Constanta where he is expected to
be awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa title of the Ovidius University. In a
statement made to RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI on the international airport of
Otopeni, Mr. De Puig said: "I am here to inform the Romanian authorities
that our institution is favouring your country's accession to NATO, the EU
and the WEU. This is our position and our will. On the other hand, I would
like to know the position and the expectations the Romanian authorities
have as far as Romania's NATO, EU and WEU faster integration is concerned.
This is the task of my visit to Bucharest. I hope my visit will be both
pleasant and politically interesting, given the very important meetings I
have here". RADOR
[07] "The Council of Europe made no recommendations as far as the
minorities' higher education is concerned", Minister Andrei Marga explains
Romanian Minister of National Education Andrei Marga has attended a meeting
in Budapest on Saturday. On the occasion, Romania became part of the higher
education cooperation programme in Central European countries. Referring to
the recent letter the president of the Education Commission in the Romanian
Senate has sent concerning the possible Hungarian language universities to
be established in Romania, minister Marga said to a RADIO ROMANIA
ACTUALITATI reporter that issues of Romanian Government and Parliament
concern are not to be discussed in Budapest. The Romanian minister said he
is in favour of multicultural universities, and stressed that the Council
of Europe made no recommendations or standards on the issue. This idea was
shared by OSCE Commissioner Max van der Stoel on the occasion of his recent
visit to Romania. "All states have the obligation to ensure a higher
education for their minorities, but the minorities themselves should decide
their programmes", the education minister explained. RADOR
[08] Tribute to Iuliu Maniu
On Sunday, in the northern town of Sighetul Marmatiei, a tribute was paid
to the memory of Iuliu Maniu on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of
his birthday and 45th anniversary of his tragic death in the prison of this
town. RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI reports that high ranking officials in the
Romanian Government and Parliament as well as the presidents of the county
councils in the country attended the meeting. Referring to the event, a
senior official of the county of Maramures recalled the great personality
of Iuliu Maniu, the role he played in our national history, and the fact
that, while still a youth, he fought to achieve the ideals of the Romanians
in Transylvania - the Great Union in 1918. Participants have visited the
prison in Sighet, and a mass was held in the Poors' Cemetery of the town.
RADOR
[09] A raise of the licence tax on broadcasting
The Romanian Government has recently decided a ten time-raise of the annual
licence tax on broadcasting, RADIO FREE EUROPE reports. The old tax
remained unchanged since 1993, while costs have constantly raised since
then. The new CNA (National Council of Broadcasting) taxes on authorising
low power radio and TV stations start from 1 and 3,2 million lei, and they
could hit up to 4 million lei. The annual licence tax for low power radio
and TV stations could hit from 1,8 to 3 million lei while the annual tax on
authorising the cable televisions starts from 1,2 million lei, and could
hit 3 million lei. The tax on cable TV licence could hit 30 million lei,
and depends on the number of consumers. "Cable TV operators claim the
decision is unfair", said Mircea Suciu, the president of the Romanian
Professional Association of Cable Communications (APRCC). Mr. Suciu
stressed that the annual tax on cable TV licence could hit 30 million lei
while the annual tax on licence for normal radios and TVs are not based on
any high standards. RADOR
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