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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-07-22
July 22, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] PNTCD Summer School;
[02] Further Remarks on PNTCD-PD Disputes;
[03] Talks on a Possible PNL-PNL Campeanu Merger;
[04] MI Restructuring;
[05] PDSR Press Conference;
[06] Gheorghe Funar Denies the Owners' Right to Get Their Former Properties
Back;
[07] Talks Between Prime Minister Radu Vasile and a BNS Delegation;
[08] METAROM Federation Protests;
[09] Second Day of President Constantinescu's Visit to San Francisco.
[01] PNTCD Summer School
Over 120 Christian-Democrat National Peasant students are attending the
meetings organised by the ruling Christian Democrat National Peasant Party
(PNTCD) in its Summer School at Campulung Muscel, Arges county. While
attending a meeting in Campulung on Tuesday, PNTCD vicepresident Remus
Opris said that political games and duplicity were not supposed to be part
of his party's policy. He believed that most of the PNTCD members would
reject such moves that, in his opinion, were purely accidental. In his turn,
PNTCD vicepresidenJ Nicolae Ionescu-Galbeni said his party's new statute
had to stipulate very clearly the responsabilities of the PNTCD decision-
making bodies. He believes that a limited group of some 30 PNTCD leading
members should be allowed to make the most important decisions. Agriculture
Minister Dinu Gavrilescu has presented the participants with a report of
the "Reform in Agriculture: A Proof of PNTCD Doctrine's Vitality". RADOR
[02] Further remarks on PNTCD-PD disputes
When asked to comment recent remarks by PNTCD vicepresident Vasile Lupu who
said that there were no differences between his party and other parties in
the governing coalition over matters of major importance, the leader of the
Democratic Party (PD), Mr Petre Roman, said on Tuesday that he did not
intend to start a polemic with Vasile Lupu but however he said that the
"PNTCD should realise that it had to find the political forces to share
similar initiatives concerning, for instance, the retrocession of land or
forests, if Jhe party were really commited to answer the interests of the
social categories the laws were expected to be made for. There is really a
series of matters on which the PNTCD should clearly express its position",
The PD leader admitted. "If they believe the laws should be strictly made
according to their will if not at all, then such a belief is very dangerous
and it may only affect those who are waiting for the laws to be passed", Mr
Roman concluded. RADOR
[03] Talks on a possible PNL-PNL Campeanu merger
The leader of the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL), Mircea Ionescu
Quintus, and the party's vicepresident Valeriu Stoica had talks with
leading representatives of the Campeanu wing of the PNL (PNLC). Their talks
on Tuesday focused on issues concerning a possible merger of the two
parties. According to a statement by Mr Quintus, both sides have expressed
their wish to achieve this last act of the Liberal unification and they
agreed to consult the leaders in the territory over thJ issue within a
month. Further talks between the two sides are expected by the end of
August. RADOR
[04] MI restructuring
The meeting on Monday between the Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile and
representatives of the local public administration focused mainly on issues
concerning the demilitarisation of the police and ways of improving
contacts between the prefectures and the local structures of the Interior
Ministry (MI). Prime Minister Radu Vasile pointed out that MI's
institutional restructuring, the police included, was one of Romania's
European integration criteria, but the Romanian reality should be taken
into account. The prime minister has admitted that the demilitarisation
process of the police would request additional financing for some
departments and an appropriate administration of the MI's existing funds.
Referring to the cooperation between police inspectorates in the country,
the prefects have mentioned recent negative developments in the counties of
CalarasJ, Ialomita, Giurgiu and Teleorman. Interior Minister Gavril Dejeu
has assured the prefects that some officials would be removed if necessary.
RADOR
[05] PDSR press conference
The opposition Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR) believes that,
as long as Romania's economy is deteriorating, recent proposals made by
Romania's Finance Ministry to raise taxes and other duties are inevitable.
PDSR vicepresident Ioan Mircea Pascu told a press conference on Tuesday
that the government's Budget was expected to face a lack of financial
resources because any foreign financing had been ceased. As Romania's
relations with the US is a top priority, the PDSR believes that the recent
visit of President Constantinescu to the US was necessary. Mr Pascu has
however mentioned the existing discrepancies between a certain official
restraint concerning Romania's relations with NATO and an exaggerated
evaluation of the Romanian president's visit to the US on one hand and, on
the other hand, the Jecent doubtful attitude of Privatisation Minister
Sorin Dimitriu towards the American investors and the enforced
resposibilities allowing him to encourage such investments. RADOR
[06] Gheorghe Funar denies the owners' right to get their former properties
back
In a letter to Romania's prime minister, the Mayor of Cluj, Gheorghe Funar,
says that changes should be introduced in the Government Order allowing the
retrocession of some biuldings formerly owned by Romanian national
minorities and non-Christian-Orthodox churches. In this respect, the mayor
mentions the former headquarters of the Transylvanian Museum Association in
the Central Plaza of Cluj. Mr Funar claims that the existing association
(founded in 1990) is not the legal successor of the former owner, an
association being dissolved actually in 1949. Therefore, the City Hall of
Cluj should not renounce the building's ownership. The mayor of Cluj also
rejects the term of "Hungarian community" as stipulated in the Government
OJder because, as he puts it, there is no such community legally confirmed
and one should not believe the Hungarian community was one and the same
thing with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). The
Government Order allowing the retrocession of 17 buildings is actually
coming into force as it was already published in the "Monitorul Oficial"
despite the Culture Minister Ion Caramitru's refusal to sign the document.
The document was published however without his signature. RADOR
[07] Talks between Prime Minister Radu Vasile and a BNS delegation
Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile had talks on Tuesday with a delegation
representing the National Trade Union Block (BNS) Trade Union
Confederation. The BNS delegates have mentioned that the Finance,
Privatisation, Labour, Industry and Trade and Transport Ministries were to
blame for the big delays in solving a series of problems. The BNS leaders
have also warned of the existing tensions among the workers of RENEL (ed.J.
Romania's national energy supplier) and SNCFR (ed.n. Romanian Railways).
Referring to the SNCFR, the trade unionists said they were not against the
restrcturing, but they however denounced the lack of dialogue with the
Transport Ministry officials. Prime Minister Radu Vasile has asked the
trade unionists to present a report of recent developments in the
autonomous utilities allowing the government to consider the trade unions'
position on different issues. RADOR
[08] METAROM Federation protests
A meeting on "A Future fot Romania's Metallurgy, A Future for Metal
Workers" was organised by the METAROM Trade Union Federation at the metal
producing plant in Otelul Rosu on Tuesday. Participants in the rally at
METAFIL Otelul Rosu included metal workers from other cities such as Resita
and Hunedoara along with most of the METAROM leaders. In his address to
participants, METROM leader Aurel Radi said the rally yesterday and the
other rallies to follow in the ten-day METAROM promotionJcampaign were
supposed to be a warning of the existing problems the metal industry was
facing. The next METAROM rallies are to be organised in Calan and Hunedoara
on Wednesday. RADOR
[09] Second day of President Constantinescu's visit to San Francisco
The second day of President Constantinescu's visit to San Francisco started
with a working lunch at the AIR TOUCH COMMUNICATION headquarters. AIR TOUCH,
the world's air communication leader, is already involved in Romanian
businesses as part of the MOBILPHON CONNEX GSM mobile telecommunication
programme. The president's agenda also included a visit and an interview
with the "San Francisco Chronicle" newspaper and a reception at the
Commonwealth Club World Affairs Council. The San Francisco Mayor Will Brown
and representives of San Francisco Bay companies have also joined the
party. In the afternoon, the Romanian president visited the LORAL company,
one of the world's leaders in space industry. In a statement to the press
at the end oJ the visit, President Constantinescu said that all the
objectives of his US visit had been achieved. He warned however that the
positive results of the contacts he had would depend on how cooperative the
Romanian authorities would prove in using them. Mr Constantinescu pointed
out that Californian industries were top leaders in the world's HT and
consequently, his visit to San Francisco proved to be very useful. RADOR
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