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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-10-29
October 29, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Romanian OSCE Mission Monitoring Kosovo Province Passed in Parliament;
[02] Joint Session in Parliament;
[03] Meeting between Prime Minister Radu Vasile and Governing Coalition
Leaders;
[04] Land Law Amended;
[05] UDMR against Emergency Adoption of Education Law;
[06] Teachers' Strike Actions Suspended;
[07] Miners' Strike in Jiu Valley Suspended;
[08] Opening of a Social Centre for Homeless Children;
[09] Romanians Leaving Covasna;
[10] President Constantinescu on a Visit to Finland;
[11] MAE Press Conference;
[12] Meeting of Dialogue Commissions Representing Christian Orthodox and
Greek Catholic Churches;
[13] Juan Antonio Samaranch Met Prime Minister Radu Vasile.
[01] Romanian OSCE mission monitoring Kosovo province passed in parliament
With an overall majority, the parliament has answered the Romanian
president's request and approved the decision of the Supreme Council for
Defence (CSAT) allowing Romania's participation in the OSCE monitoring
mission toOthe Yugoslav province of Kosovo. According to the decision
adopted on Wednesday, Romania is to send an AN-30 search-plane with crew
and equipments on bord and a group of observers. The number of observers in
the 90-day mission is still to be decided at negotiations between MAE
(ed.n. Romanian Foreign Ministry) and OSCE officials. Addressing the
parliament, the representatives of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania
(PDSR), Christian Democrat National Peasant Party (PNTCD), Greater Romania
Party (PRM) and National Liberal Party (PNL) have expressed their support
of the CSAT decision. They have also expressed the hope that the decision
may help the situation in Kosovo get back to normal. The MP groups
representing the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR)
and the Romanians' National Unity Party (PUNR) did not express their
position on the matter. RADOR
[02] Joint session in parliament
With 310 votes for and 25 against, the two chambres in the Romanian
ParliaOent have approved the structure of the Special Commission monitoring
the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) activity. The commission includes
chief commissioner George Serban, a deputy representing the Democratic
Party (PD), PDSR senator Alexandru Radu Timofte - deputy chief commissioner,
PNTCD deputy Mihai Gheorghiu - secretary, and PNL senator Cornel Boinagiu
and PRM deputy Marcu Tudor as members. At its joint session on Wednesday,
the parliament has appointed deputy Tanase Tavala as vicepresident of
Romania's Parliamentary Commission for European integration. RADOR
[03] Meeting between Prime Minister Radu Vasile and governing coalition
leaders
The prime minister has considered his Cabinet reshuffle ever since his
inauguration on the job. The move is becoming urgent in recent days as the
next year's Budget should take into account the new executive team. Prime
Minister Radu Vasile made the announcement some days ago and, at the
Victoria Palace, discussions were still going on, bOt PNTCD leader Ion
Diconescu looked still surprised by the meeting when he entered the
Government Building and said he did not know anything about the agenda of
the talks. UDMR leader Marko Bela seemed however to know what was all about
as he said that it was the efficiency and not the number of ministries that
should be taken into account. UDMR would like however a smaller government
and believed that 18 ministries were just enough though the party was not
willing to renounce any of its ministerial positions. Among other things,
Marko Bela believes that a new ministry should be designed to help develop
the private sector and the SMEs. Even more explicitly, PNL leader Mircea
Ionescu Quintus has mentioned some of the ministries to be left out of the
new government: the communications and maybe the research and the youth and
sports ministries. Referring to the meeting's results, Mr Quintus said that,
in case the leaders would reach an agreement, there were only the technical
detailsOstill to be discussed. In his turn, the PD leader said the big
problem was the delays in the reform process. He believes that the delays
in implementing the governing programme should be discussed first. "It is
not the exchange of seats but the reform process that is all about", Mr
Petre Roman said. He will remind his political partners that the PD's
political support of the prime minister and the Cabinet depended on the
results in achieving the reform priorities. RADOR
[04] Land Law amended
At their joint session on Wednesday, the two chmbres in parliament have
solved the remaining differences in the Emergency Ordinance amending Art. 9
in the Land Law. The deadline for complaints to restore property right on
farming lands is delayed to December 31, 1998. The disputes concerning the
draft law on leasing were also solved The senators and the deputies have
also discussed the CSAT report of activity in 1996. RADOR
[05] UDMR against emergency adoption of Education Law
After long dOlays, the Permanent Bureau of the House of Deputies has
decided that the chambre's plenum should pass the Education Law in
energency regime. As such procedure excludes any amendments to the law,
there is little chance that the final version may include articles
concerning minority language teaching higher education or the setting up of
the Petofi-Schiller multicultural University. PNTCD would have liked to
prevent the emergency procedure, but the PD, the second major party in the
governing coalition, joined the Opposition in its support of the emergency
regime. Consequently, the bill already accepted by the four coalition
parties allowing minority language teaching higher education was out of
question. The UDMR leaders are now holding talks with the prime minister,
but UDMR executive president Takacs Csaba has warned that the very future
of the governing coalition was at stake. RADOR
[06] Teachers' strike actions suspended
The general strike of teachers and administrative peronneO in schools and
university is suspended and school and university students may start
classes on October 29. Following talks on Wednesday, trade unionists and
government represntatives have reached an agreement resulted in a protocol
signed by National Education Minister Andrei Marga, Finance Minister
Decebal Traian Remes and ttrade union leaders. The document says the
education system will be one of the 1999 Budget's major priorities and
additional pay for teachers in remote areas will start on December 1. The
MEN is to grant the 13-th salary in January 1999. Marius Nistor, the
vicepresident of the National Education Federation, said the protocol met
actually the strikers' main demands. RADOR
[07] Miners' strike in Jiu Valley suspended
Strike actions by miners in the Jiu Valley were suspended on Tuesday after
government promises to pay the remaining unpaid salaries. Talks between
trade union leaders and Industry and Trade Ministry officials are expected
in Bucharest on ThursdayO The miners' demands include the restucturing of
the Coal Autonomous Utility and state assurences for coal supply contracts
next year. RADOR
[08] Opening of a social centre for homeless children
A social centre for homeless children opened in the Transylvanian town of
Cluj-Napoca on Wednesday following an initiative by "Ecce Homo" Christian
humanitarian organisation. The 100,00 DEM investment was provided by
similar bodies in Holland and Britain. "Ecce Homo" president told RADIO
CLUJ that social workers and psychologists are trying to recover the
homeless children and get them back to the community. RADOR
[09] Romanians leaving Covasna
The Romanians are leaving the Transylvanian county of Covasna. According to
a report issued at the end of September, 1,641 people have established
themselves in the county while 1,666 people have left Covasna in the last
three month. It is interesting to mention that most of them are Romanian
nationals who claim they are prevented to work accordOng to their training
by the non-Romanian majority in the county. RADOR
[10] President Constantinescu on a visit to Finland
While in Finland on Wednesday, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu
visited the Uspenski Christian Orthodox Cathedral and the Helsinki
University, one of the oldest in Europe. In the morning, the Romanian
president was the guest of the Helsinki City Hall and then visited the
Parliament Building. Later in the day, President Constantinescu was
expected to visit the headquarters of the Nokia Company. President
Constatinescu's visit to Finland was expected to end in the afternoon, when
he would leave for Bucharest after meeting Romanian-born Finns and
representatives of the Romania-Finland Friendship Association. RADOR
[11] MAE press conference
A MAE spokesman has announced that a new round of talks started on October
27 between Russian and Romanian experts trying to complete the basic treaty
between the two countries. The experts are trying to reach an aOreement on
the remaining issues still under dispute after their first meeting in
Moscow a year ago. The spkesman has also announced that Foreign Minister
Andrei Plesu was to leave for Hungary on October 30, for talks with his
Hungarian counterpart about the results of the second meeting of the
Romanian-Hungarian Intergovernment Commission for cooperation and active
partnership. The spokesman said Mr Plesu was due in Strasbourg on November
3-4 to attend the 103-rd session of the Council of Europe's Ministerial
Committee. RADOR
[12] Meeting of dialogue commissions representing Christian Orthodox and
Greek Catholic Churches
The commissions for dialogue between the Christian Orthodox and the Greek
Catholic Churches met in a joint session at the Palace of the Romanian
Patriachy on Wednesday morning. The commissions are seeking a solution to
the patrimonial disputes beetween the two Churches - the source of growing
tensions in the last eight years. In his opening speech, Christian OrOhodox
chief commissioner Daniel, the Patriarch of Moldova, said: "This is a day
we should bless. We hope the dialogue will lead to reconciliation and solve
all the differences between the two Churches. We hope it is a good start
and we hope God will bless it". In his turn, Greek Catholic chief
commissioner Lucian Muresan, the Patriarch of Blaj, has praised the meeting
as a "historic moment for the two Churches and the Romanian people".
RADOR
[13] Juan Antonio Samaranch met Prime Minister Radu Vasile
While in Romania for the funerals of Alexandru Siperco, former member of
the Olympic International Committee (OIC), the president of the committee,
Juan Antonio Samaranch, met Prime Minister Radu Vasile on Wednesday. The
talks focused on Romania's Olympic future. The Romanian prime minister was
awarded the medal comemorating the 10-th anniversary of the Modern Olympic
Games. Mr Samaranch has invited the prime minister to visit the OIC
headquarters in Lausanne where all the OIC membeOs are expected meet in the
very next future. RADOR
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