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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-10-22
October 22, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Call for Inquiry;
[02] National Minorities Council Plenum;
[03] Interior Ministry Restructuring;
[04] PNTCD Concerns about Parliamentary Discipline;
[05] Health Ministry Ban on Powder Milk-Made Milk;
[06] Robin Cook on a Visit to Bucharest;
[07] Romanian Government Aid for Romanians Living in Hungary;
[08] Romania Is Ready to Participate in the OSCE Mission;
[09] Solemn Service at the Cathedral in Alba Iulia;
[10] "Radio House for Every Child and Family".
[01] Call for inquiry
The Parliamentary Commission monitoring the activity of the Romanian
Intelligence Service (SRI) has decided to call for an inquiry after Ion
Coja, former president of the Democratic Agrarian Party in Romania (PDAR),
has accused the ministers Radu Berceanu, Andrei Plesu, Ion Caramitru and
former Finance Minister Daniel Daianu of collaborating with foreign
intelligence services. Commissioner Daniela Buruiana said that, at the
hearing on Wednesday, Ion Coja did not bring any evidence in support of his
accusations. At the commission's next meeting, SRI director Costin
Georgescu is expected to present the commissioners with the results of the
inquiry. RADOR
[02] National Minorities Council plenum
The meeting of the Council of National Minorities was taking place at the
Victoria Palace on Wednesday. The agenda of the talks included such topics
as the draft law on national minorities and the institutional activity
fighting racism and xenophobia. The head of the Legislation Directorate in
the Government Department for national minorities' protection, Attila Marko,
said the draft law referred to minority rights mentioning other laws
including provisions on the matter. The councillors have passed the draft
law which is now expected to go to the Cabinet for further debates. RADOR
At its meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday, as a results of the nine year-
effort made by Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), the
Council of National Minorities in Romania has passed the draft law on
national minorities. The document provides the legal framework and ways of
implementing its provisions. As a new element, the draft law includes
penalties against minority abuses, press reports against minorities, racial
hatred and antisemitism which are now considered as crimes. The meeting on
Wednesday has adopted both the text of the law and the sanctions against
breaking it. Another new element is the legal status of the minority groups
the law is now stipulating. RADOR
[03] Interior Ministry restructuring
Romanian Interior Minister Gavril Dejeu told a press conference on
Wednesday that the restructuring measures of his ministry were designed to
get the Romanian Police closer to the civil structures in the local public
administration. According to the Law 116/1998, the Romanian Geandarmerie is
responsible for preserving the public order in the country. Referring to
the border security, minister Dejeu said that measures were taken for the
restructuring of big units belonging to the National Command of
Borderguards. RADOR
The Interior Ministry restructuring includes, among other things, the
demilitarisation of the police - a move expected to cost nearly 4,500
billion lei. The statement was made by Romanian Interior Minister Gavril
Dejeu at a press conference on Wednesday. The obstacles against illegal
immigration and smuglling are going to be enforced as the measure is an
important condition for Romania's accession to the European structures.
Special structures to fight gambling crimes and copyright piracy are to be
created by the end of the year, the interior minister added. RADOR
[04] PNTCD concerns about parliamentary discipline
The meeting of the MP groups representing the Christian Democrat National
Peasant Party (PNTCD) and the party's ministers in the governing coalition
has been taking place on Wednesday. According to PNTCD vicepresident Sorin
Lepsa, the talks concentrated on the Prime Minister Radu Vasile's message
to all MP groups representing the coalition parties as the prime minister
was complaining of poor coordination between MPs and Cabinet ministers in
adopting a series of laws which actually had no similarity to the projects
the government proposed after being passed by parliament. PNTCD leader Ion
Diaconescu said he would call for the restoration of the famous
coordination council. RADOR
The lack of a good coordination between the government and the parliament
has been repeatedly mentioned recently as the main reason for the delaying
reforms. Following the last government reshuffle, the meetings of the
famous COCOPO were cancelled after claims that the Cabinet should be
allowed to work quietly, with no interference from leaders of coalition
parties. Now, such interference comes from the MPs representing the
coalition parties in parliament to the prime minister's obvious discontent.
The prime minister has actually launched a big campaign designed to secure
his position in the government and his party. RADOR
[05] Health Ministry ban on powder milk-made milk
A Health Ministry communique says that, as the Law 42/1991 is banning the
use of ready-made products in the processing of other goods, the powder
milk-made milk should be banned as well. The communique mentions that the
powder milk is a ready-made product and its use in milk processing was
sporadically allowed given the difficulties the milk industry was facing.
The Health Ministry has warned that it could not afford to support such
inefficiency anymore. RADOR
[06] Robin Cook on a visit to Bucharest
British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook has arrived in Bucharest on Wednesday
for a 24-hour visit. While at the Otopeni Airport, he said his first
official visit to Romania was aimed at seeking ways to intensify the
bilateral cooperation between Britain and Romania becuase, as he put it,
the relations between the two countries were already good. The head of the
British diplomacy said he was expected to discuss with the Romanian
authorities the way Britain could better help Romania in its efforts to
join the EU. The agenda of the talks in Bucharest also includes such topics
as the situation in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. British Foreign
Secretary Robin Cook met Romanian President Emil Constantinescu on
Wednesday evening. RADOR
[07] Romanian Government aid for Romanians living in Hungary
While in Hungary where he attended the meeting of the Romanian-Hungarian
joint Commission monitoring the implementation of the bilateral basic
Treaty between the two countries, Mugur Vasiliu, Deputy State Secretary in
the Romanian Government's Department for Minorities, mentioned the aid the
Romanian Government was providing to the Romanians living in Hungary. In an
interview on Wednesday, Mr Vasiliu said that 20 proposals from both the
Romanian communities living in Hungary and the Hungarian minority living in
Romania were included in a single document to be submitted to the foreign
ministers of both Romania and Hungary who were expected to examine the
proposals and then present the governments in the two countries with them.
RADOR
[08] Romania is ready to participate in the OSCE mission
Romania is ready to participate in the OSCE mission. In a communique issued
on Wednesday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that 50 Romanian
experts were expected to arrive in Kosovo as part of the OSCE mission. The
decision was made despite Opposition protests who warned that the mission
could bring the region's independence and indirectly support the autonomy
efforts of the Hungarians living in Romania. RADOR
[09] Solemn service at the Cathedral in Alba Iulia
A solemn service was held at the Unification Cathedral in Alba Iulia in
remembrance of the Transylvanian saints. The Holy Mass was celebrated by
Romania's Patriarch Teoctist along with senior priests of the Christian
Orthodox Church in Transylvania. Participants also included representatives
of the Greek Catholic Church and the Church of England as well as local
officials. The Episcopal Church in Alba Iulia was solemnly proclaimed as
Archepiscopal Church following a decision by the Holy Council of the
Romanian Christian Orthodox Church. At the ceremony on Wednesday, Patriarch
Teoctist said the celebration was actually confirming the unity our
ancestors dreamed about and then achieved through the sacrifice of the
Romanians from around the world. RADOR
[10] "Radio House for Every Child and Family"
The Press Centre of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation (SRR) is hosting
the seminar on the "Radio House for Every Child and Family". Organised by
the Department for Education and Educational Programmes in cooperation with
the Romanian branch of the UNICEF, the event is part of the celebrations
marking 70 years of Romanian radio broadcasting. In his opening speech on
Wednesday, the president director general of the SRR, Tudor Catineanu, has
mentioned the interest of the national Radio in the didactic and
educational restructuring of its Romania Cultural and Romania Tineret
(ed.n. Romania Youth) Channels. The UNICEF representative for Romania and
the Republic of Moldova, introduced the basic elements of the integrated
educational project for families and human rights support while pointing
out the Radio's contribution to the project. RADOR
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