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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-12-09
December 9, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Solemn session celebrating Romania's Constitution Day;
[02] Senate Proceedings;
[03] House of Deputies Proceedings;
[04] Laws Promulgated;
[05] Prime Minister's Consultations with Trade Union Leaders;
[06] PDSR Is Preparing a Censure Motion;
[07] Statement by PDSR Vicepresident Doru Ioan Taracila;
[08] PUNR's Conditioned Return to Parliament;
[09] The Prime Minister Met Representatives of Christian Cultural Bodies;
[10] New Hearings in the Cigarette 2 Case;
[11] Metarom Trade Union Federation Warning Strike;
[12] UDMR Extraordinary Press Conference;
[13] Romanian Foreign Minister's Statement after Meeting the North-Atlantic
Council;
[14] Romanian Government's Position on European Commission Report.
[01] Solemn session celebrating Romania's Constitution Day
On the occasion of Romania's Constitution Day, the Constitutional Court
organised a solemn session at the Parliament Palace on Tuesday.
participants included Romanian President Emil Constantinescu, Prime
Minister Radu Vasile, House of Deputies Speaker Ion Dicaonescu, the
Patriarch of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church Teoctist, political
leaders and senior officials. In his speech, President Constantinescu
expressed his deep concern about recent tendencies questioning the state
institutions's authority and predicting the collapse of the Romanian state
for failing to ensure its independence and integrity. The president warned
that nobody was allowed to question Romania's integrity and independence
during his mandate. He strongly criticised the political forces trying to
promote extremist ideas and persuading the people to abandon the democratic
principles and return to dictature. Other speeches were made by the speaker
of the House of Deputies, the two former presidents and the current
president of the Constitutional Court. RADOR
[02] Senate proceedings
At its session on Tuesday, the Romanian Senate has adopted the draft law
approving Emergency Ordinance 24/1998 on the regime of disfavoured areas
and the draft law approving the Emergency Ordinance 22/1998 imposing
temporary additional customs duties on consumer goods imports. According to
law, an additional tax of 6 per cent is to be imposed temporarily and
undiscriminatory on all consumer goods imports irrespective of the country
they come from. The natural gas, oil, energy and medicine imports as well
as the imports mentioned in the Ordinance 14/1995 are excepted. RADOR
[03] House of Deputies proceedings
The deputies have adopted on Tuesday articles in the draft law amending and
completing the Civil Code. According to law, the court should consider as
priorities all the trials involving material compensations, the trials
involving housing rights and any trial involving large amounts of money
(over 500 million lei). A new article in the law stipulates that the
judicial executors should act efficiently at the creditor's request and
force the debtors to answer the claimant's demand. The deputies have also
adopted the draft law amending and completing the Law on child allowance.
RADOR
[04] Laws promulgated
A communique issued by the Romanian Presidency says that President Emil
Constantinescu has signed on Tuesday the Decree promulgating the the Law to
approve the Government Emergency Odinance 16/1998 amending and completing
the Law 31/1998 on commercial companies. President Constantinescu has also
signed the Decree promulgating the Law establishing the day of December 16
as the Day of National Solidarity against Dictature. RADOR
[05] Prime minister's consultations with trade union leaders
Prime Minister Radu Vasile has started on Tuesday a series of consultations
with representatives of the trade union confederations. The talks
concentrate on the economic measures the government is expected to take in
the very next future. Government spokesman Rasvan Popescu said the talks
with the Alfa Cartel delegates focused on the "horizontal" effects in case
some enterprises would close down. Alfa Cartel leader Bogdan Hossu said the
measures should restore the economy, but a change in the energy and gas
tariffs should be operated to approximate the current prices to the prices
on the international market. Referring to petrol prices, Mr Hossu said the
government promised to avoid a raise. As far as the six-month moratorium
was concerned, the Alfa Cartel leader said his trade union was expected to
make a decision in a few days. The leader of the Mining Trade Unions
Confederation, Marin Condescu, said he accepted the moratorium, but he
believed the government "should really achieve the reform". The president
of the Metarom Federation, Aurel Radi, has announced that new consultations
were expected at Victoria Palace on December 17 to establish the strategy
the Industry Ministry was to promote in restructuring the metal industry.
RADOR
[06] PDSR is preparing a censure motion
By the end of the year, the Opposition is to draw up a censure motion
against the government for the difficult situation the Romanians are now
facing. The leader of the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR), Ion
Iliescu, told a press conference on Tuesday that, in case the Radu Vasile
Cabinet was to pledge before parliament the anti-crisis measures, then the
motion should be seen as an answer to the government's initiative. The PDSR
is now drawing up a censure motion which, if supported, is to be submitted
to parliament by the end of the year, irrespective of the Radu Vasile
Cabinet's pledge. RADOR
[07] Statement by PDSR vicepresident Doru Ioan Taracila
In a political statement in the opening of the Senate session on Tuesday,
PDSR vicepresident Doru Ioan Taracila has announced that his party is
returning to parliament. At the same time, the PDSR representatives will
attend the negotiations between the three parliamentary working groups
agreed on Monday. Mr Taracila said the parliamentary protest was only
suspended and now the party was waiting for concrete solutions to its
proposals, and not jusn an answer for the answer's sake. The PDSR senator
said his party was praising the efforts made by the Senate speaker in the
attempt to end the parliamentary crisis. RADOR
[08] PUNR's conditioned return to parliament
At the House of Deputies on Tuesday, Ioan Gavra, one of the leaders of the
Romanians' National Unity Party (PUNR), has announced his party's return to
parliament. He said the negotiations between the Majority and the
Opposition on Monday only succeeded in avoiding the critical point and
pointed out the major importance of the three consulting groups mutually
agreed by both the Majority and the Opposion. A PUNR communique however
warns: "If the agreements already reached yesterday (ed.n. Monday) prove no
result in 10 days, then the PUNR MP groups will withdraw again from both
the Senate and the House of Deputies". RADOR
[09] The prime minister met representatives of Christian cultural bodies
At the Victoria Palace on Tuesday, Prime Minister Radu Vasile met delegates
of the Andrei Saguna Christian Cultural League, the Astra Society and the
Miron Cristea Christian Cultural Foundation. The delegates have presented
the prime minister with a series of issues concerning the economic
development in the counties of Harghita and Covasna as well as the
difficulties in the regional transport and gas supply around Intorsura
Buzaului and the town of Toplita. The prime minister has announced the the
Cabinet meeting on Wednesday was expected to adopt a project to improve the
gas supply in Intorsura Buzaului. A communique issued by the Government
Press Office says the delegates have asked the prime minister to declare
the town of Balan as disfavoured area. RADOR
[10] New hearings in the Cigarette 2 case
The hearings of the former director of the Presidential Guard and
Protection Service (SPP), Nicu Anghel, and of Ge, Gheorghe Bucse, the Chief
of Staff of the Romanian Air Forces, have been reported on Tuesday. They
both have insisted that it was the press who provided them with information
about the cigarette transport during the night of April 16-17. Nicu Anghel
said that, right after the scandal emerged, he told presidential adviser
Dorin Marian all he knew about it as reported by colonel Trutulescu. The
former SPP chief said it was the commander Suciu who ordered Gheorghe
Trutulescu at the Otopeni Airport on April 16-17. In his turn, gen.
Gheorghe Bucse said he asked the commander Suciu to draw up a report, but
Suciu reported that nothing happened on the airport during that night.
According to gen. Bucse, commander Suciu said the plane was empty and he
knew nothing about its landing. RADOR
[11] Metarom Trade Union Federation warning strike
A warning strikes were reported in all major metallurgic centres. The two-
hour strike on Tuesday (at 10-12 AM) was carried out by the Metarom Trade
Union Federation. The federation's vicepresident, Valentina Contescu, says
the main demands include the adoption of a government order establishing a
strategy in the industry's restructuring, emergency measures allowing the
enterprises' survival until their recovery and the restauration of the
former three-party commission for social dialogue. The vicepresident said a
general strike was expected early next year, unless the government would
consider the strikers' demands. Participants in the strike included workers
in Campia Turzii, Sircotub Zalau and trge metallurgic plant in Resita.
RADOR
[12] UDMR extraordinary press conference
The president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
(UDMR), Marko Bela, told an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday that
the coalition parties and the government had different opinions on the
health system. He said his party expressed its further support of the
health minister, but it was expected to ask for a change of concept or
another minister if the ministry did not review its aproach. Marko Bela has
mentioned state secretary Alexandru Ciocalteu in this respect. He announced
that consultations between coalition party leaders were expected within a
few days to solve the existing differences. In his turn, Health Minister
Hajdu Gabor said he would try to comply with the promise he made and
achieve the reform of the health system. Referring to the list of the 350
compensated medicines, Mr Hajdu said that, according to the World Health
Organisation regulations, the list seems fair and, for financial reasons,
another list, even longer, was hardly possible. RADOR
[13] Romanian foreign minister's statement after meeting the North-Atlantic
Council
After attending the meeting of the North-Atlantic Partnership Council in
Brussels on Tuesday, Romanian Foreign Minister Andrei Plesu said the
meeting was Romania's last chance to reiterate its commitment to join the
North-Atlantic Alliance before the summit in Washington. The minister said
Romania had to present the arguments and facts allowing the country to make
such request. Mr Plesu said Romania expected the Washington summit in April
to express a much stronger consensus incompliance with the paragraph 8 in
the Madrid summit's final declaration as the [paragraph was mentioned as
well in the communique issued at the end of the meeting on Tuesday morning.
RADOR
[14] Romanian Government's position on European Commission report
The Romanian Government has publicly express its position on the European
Commission report concerning the progress of Romania in preparing for the
EU accession. The government believes the report provided a realistic image
about the recent developments in the country. The Romanian Government is
aware of the difficulties in implementing the economic and local
administration reforms, the long-delayed progress and, consequently, the
unsatisfactory results needing emergency and tough measures. In its efforst
to achieve the economic restructuring, the privatisation and the local
administration reform, the government will adopt a short term action
programme by the end of December. In this respect, a series of measures
were already taken, especially as far as the restructuring of the
government, the State Ownership Fund (FPS) and the privatisation, reform
and finance ministries were concerned. Other measures are related to the
1999 Budget, the closedown of loss-making enterprises by the end of the
year and improved tax-collecting. RADOR
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