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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-04-23
April 23, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Negotiations for new secretaries of state
[02] Budget under debates
[03] Amendments approved
[04] Additional MApN budget approved
[05] ApR will vote for 1998 Budget
[06] PUNR press conference
[07] PDSR President Ion Iliescu about recent meeting of opposition parties
[08] ApR and PUR support George Padure as candidate for Bucharest City Hall
[09] PD candidate for the position of deputy speaker of the House of
Deputies
[10] Romanian foreign minister's visit to the US
[11] Turkish defence minister on a visit to Romania
[12] Romanian MP delegation on a visit to Germany
[13] PNTCD Vicepresident Victor Ciorbea on a visit to Poland
[01] Negotiations for new secretaries of state
On Wednesday at Victoria Palace, leaders and representatives of the parties
in the governing coalition had a new round of talks aimed at completing the
list of state secretaries in the new Cabinet. At the end of the meeting,
the president of the ruling Romanian Social-Democrat Party (PSDR) Sergiu
CunescS said that the list would be subject to further discussions. He
informed that participants decided only the number of state secretaries for
each party in the governing coalition, and such positions were expected to
be reduced by 10 or 12. Romanian Reform Minister Ioan Muresan has announced
that a new round of talks would take place on Monday when the list was
expected to be completed. The president of the ruling Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) Marko Bela said his party wished to
keep the positions it had in the former government as its number of
ministers was under schedule. Alexandru Sassu, Vicepresident of the ruling
Democratic Party (PD) and Minister for Relations with Parliament, said his
party was expected to get some 13 positions but discussions were blocked
becuase of the algorithm. The leader of the ruling Christian Democrat
National Peasant Party (PNTCD), Ion Diaconescu, declared that,
theoretically, his party was expected to get 23 jobs, but some exShange did
intervene among coalition parties. RADOR, April 23
[02] Budget under debates
On Wednesday, the Budget-Finance Commissions in the Romanian Senate and
House of Deputies continued their talks concerning the draft Budget. Deputy
Chief Commissioner in the House of Deputies Florin Georgescu said the MPs
did not accept the basic principles of the draft Budget, and proposed an
economic growth through an adequate fiscal-monetary policy. The commission
proposed a raise in the budget for education, agriculture, military and
justice. Additional funds were expected from both the economic growth as
previously proposed and public debt rescheduling. The commissions in
Parliament made some amendments to the draft Budget. They include
additional funds to those already established, and additional details and
stipulations. RADOR, April 23
[03] Amendments approved
As RRA reports, during a joint session on Wednesday, the Agricultre
Commissions in the Romanian Senate and the House of DeputieS have approved
some amendments to the draft Budget of 1998. Chief Commissioner of the
House, PNTCD Deputy Gheorghe Cristea said that the Ministry of Agriculture
was expected to get up to 7,000 billion lei of additional funds and,
consequently, the budget for agriculture would be similar to the budget
last year. RADOR, April 23
[04] Additional MApN budget approved
At a joint session on Wednesday, Defence, Public Order and National
Security Commissions in the Romanian Senate and the House of Deputies have
approved an additional 1,500 billion lei budget for the Ministry of
National Defence (MApN). Senate Chief Commissioner Alexandru Nicolae
expressed the hope that both Houses in Parliament would pass the amendment,
because otherwise, he said, the defence industry would collapse and the
army would not be expected to receive any new equipments. Additional funds
are expected to be provided by MApN's own resources as a result of its
future restructuring. RADOR, April 23
[05] ApR will voSe for 1998 Budget
"The Alliance for Romania Party (ApR) will vote for the 1998 Budget", ApR
Vicepresident Viorel Salagean has announced. Mr. Salagean said that,
economically, politically and morally, the approval of the Budget by all
political forces would be a wise move. Though the party had some amendments
to make, and irrespective of their reception, the ApR would vote for the
Budget. Mr Salagean added that the Finance Ministry should complete the
draft Budget, because there were some discrepancies between the governing
programme and stipulations in the draft Budget concerning the funds for
privatisation, but such discrepancies were expected to be solved when the
Budget would be rectified. RADOR, April 23
[06] PUNR press conference
According to the leadership of the opposition Romanians' National Unity
Party (PUNR), the recent visit of Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile to
Harghita and Covasna counties has confirmed facts already presented by the
PUNR for some time. At a preSs conference on Wednesday, PUNR deputy Mihai
Dracin expressed the hope that the promises the prime minister made to
Romanians in those areas during his visit would be urgently achieved. In
his turn, Deputy Petre Turlea, the initiator of a project on state budget
salaries for religious cults recognised in Romania, said he believed the
prime minister would support the plan when submitted to Parliament. PUNR
Vicepresident Gheorghe Secara said his party did not reject the idea of a
single candidate representing an alliance under a single electoral badge in
elections for Bucharest City Hall. RADOR, April 23
[07] PDSR President Ion Iliescu about recent meeting of opposition parties
On Wednesday, the headquarters of the opposition Party of Social Democracy
in Romania (PDSR) hosted the meeting of leaders representing the opposition
PDSR, Socialist Party (PS), Socialist Labour Party (PSM), PUNR, Romanian
Humanitarian Party (PUR) and New Romania Party (PNR). The meeting was aimed
at finding She best solution for their future candidate in elections for
Bucharest City Hall. According to the same source, PDSR leader Ion Iliescu
said: "We have agreed to draw up a common strategy, and find some common
tasks in our programmes able to introduce a single candidate or more
candidates who were not supposed to act as rivals, but unite their efforts
in their campaign against the CDR, the coalition which dominates the
administration of Bucharest for six years now. In case of a second round of
voting, the best candidate should be supported. At the same time, we shall
try to develop similar relations with other parties". RADOR, April 23
[08] ApR and PUR support George Padure as candidate for Bucharest City Hall
On Wednesday, ApR Vicepresident Viorel Salagean has announced that his
party along with the PUR have formed the Alliance for Bucharest (ApB). The
Alliance is expected to support George Padure in his attempt to become the
mayor of Bucharest. ApR and PUR leaders will coordinate Sctivities within
the ApB Coordination Bureau and ApB Directorate. RADOR, April 23
[09] PD candidate for the position of deputy speaker of the House of
Deputies
As RRA reports, The PD group in the House of Deputies has designated on
Wednesday their candidate who is to replace Radu Berceanu, the new minister
of industry and trade, as deputy speaker of the Lower House in the Romanian
Parliament. The new deputy speaker, still to be accepted by the plenum of
the House, is Mrs Paula Ivanescu. RADOR, April 23
[10] Romanian foreign minister's visit to the US
While in the US, Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu visited the
Holocaust Museum. Yesterday, he was to meet US Senator Gordon Smith, Chief
Commissioner for European Affairs with the Foreign Relations Committee. The
agenda of the visit also includes a visit to Georgetown University. Mr
Plesu is expected to meet US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today.
RADOR, April 23
[11] Turkish defence minister on a visit to Romania
WhiSe in Bucharest on Wednesday, at the end of his first round of talks
with Romanian Defence Minister Victor Babiuc, Turkish Defence Minister
Ismet Sezgin said that "undoubtfully, Romania will be included in the
second round of NATO's expansion". He stressed that, as both Turkey and
Romania covered geo-strategical psotions, they play an important role in
securing stability and peace in the region and in Europe. He also assured
that Turkey will support as always Romania's efforts to join the Euro-
Atlantic structures. Among other issues, the two officials discussed
further details concerning the creation of a multinational peace-keeping
force in South-East Europe. Minister Babiuc informed that the two countries
will cooperate to improve and develop military information and training and
their defence industry. Some agreements are to be signed this autumn. In a
communique issued by Government sources the Turkish Defence Minister Sezgin
has invited Prime Minister Radu Vasile to visit TurkeS on the occasion of
an International Conference on Energy in Istanbul next month. Yesterday,
the Turkish minister was received by Romanian President Emil
Constantinescu. RADOR, April 23
[12] Romanian MP delegation on a visit to Germany
On Wednesday, a Romanian MP delegation led by Mircea Ionescu Quintus, the
president of the Romania-Germany friendship parliamentary group, has
started a visit to Germany. The event follows the visit to Romania by a
similar German delegation two years ago. Mr Quintus said om this occasion:
"The time has come to assure our German colleagues in both Bundestag and
Bundesrat that in Romania things were broght to normal; as you can see, we
already have a government. Let's stimulate the interest of German
businessmen and industrialists, and persuade them to come to Romania".
RADOR, April 23
[13] PNTCD Vicepresident Victor Ciorbea on a visit to Poland
Following an invitation by the Bathory Foundation in Warsaw, on Wednesday,
Victor Ciorbea flew to PolandSfor a three-day visit. The former Romanian
prime minister and current PNTCD vicepresident will attend different events
included in a special day dedicated to Romania under the title "Romania -
before and after November 1996". He is to meet the leader of the
"Solidarnoszcz" trade union. At the Institute for Political Studies (a
branch of the Polish Academy of Political and Economic Studies), Mr Ciorbea
will meet the head of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy and
the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister. On Friday, the PNTCD official will have
talks with the Polish prime minister. The Romanian delegation include other
officials such as Teodor Melescanu, Gyorgy Tokay, Pavel Campean, Renate
Weber and Gabriel Andreescu. RADOR, April 23
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