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RADOR: News from Romania, 98-03-26
March 26, 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Proceedings in Parliament
[02] PNTCD disputes
[03] Valeriu Stoica believes that political crisis should be solved before
the Budget was passed
[04] PD position concerning Ordinance 22
[05] Attorney General's Office demanded the immunity of PDSR Deputy Serban
Mihailescu lifted
[06] Trade union protests
[07] International Book Fair in Leipzig
[08] Accusations against workers of the Romanian embassy in Bonn
[09] Prime Minister Ciorbea met the president of the European Parliament
[01] Proceedings in Parliament
The Commission for economic policy, reform and privatisation in the House
of Deputies has started debates concerning the reform budget. Romanian
Reform Minister Ilie Serbanescu has attended the meeting on Wednesday and
declared that the Government provided sufficient funds for the reform, and
it was the best possible distribution the Government could have made. On
the other hand, Chief Commissioner Deputy Ilie Vida said the funds were
insufficient, but there were no other possibilities to increase them.
RADOR, March 26
The special commissions have started debates concerning the budget for the
Romanian National Defence Ministry (MApN) and the Ministry for Internal
Affairs (MI). Chief Commissioner for Defence Deputy Ioan Mircea Pascu
believes that, as no other resources could be found for capital spendings
and investment spendings, the budgets could only allow the survival of the
departments. RADOR, March 26
The Education Commissions in the Romanian Senate and the House of Deputies
met in a joint session on Wednesday to discuss issues concerning the 1998
budget for education. Chief Commissioner Deputy Anghel Stancu said the
budget for education was lower than 4% of the GDP, and such a budget was
against the Education Law. Consequently, the commissions have approved
additional funds to hit the 4% of the GDP as the law stipulated. The money
could be provided by the Public Ministry, the Justice Ministry and the
Ministry of Industry and Trade as their funds were provided by the National
Lottery and the casinos. RADOR, March 26
[02] PNTCD disputes
The Secretary General of the ruling Christian Democrat National Peasant
Party (PNTCD), Radu Vasile has provided details concerning the recent PNTCD
meeting in Brasov where a PNTCD deputy was celebrating his birthday. As
many PNTCD leaders along with their families attended the event, the
meeting was an occasion for debates on politics, economic issues and the
party's internal affairs. Mr Vasile said the meeting was not subversive as
others had suggested, and added that, as far as the political crisis was
concerned, all participants rejected such solutions as the early elections,
a government of national unity or an independent government. They all
shared the idea of a government made of politicians who had the support of
political parties. No names were mentioned, and Mr Vasile declared that the
discussions were only supposed to find new ways of improving the image of
the party and the government. He admitted that "some ideas were put on
paper, but there was no question of an alleged attempt to divide the
party". The PNTCD deputy added that all participants expressed their full
support for PNTCD President Ion Diaconescu. RADOR, March 26
As PNTCD vicepresident and member of the BCCC (ed.n. PNTCD Coordination and
Control Bureau), the Secretary General of the Romanian Government, Remus
Opris, sent a letter to the PNTCD Secretary General Radu Vasile and PNTCD
Vicepresident Sorin Lepsa. Mr Opris has asked the two PNTCD leaders to
provide details about the document drawn up at the meeting in Brasov.
According to Mr Opris, the document has gained the support of some local
leaders. "I thought their duty was to inform the PNTCD leadership about the
text", PNTCD Vicepresident Remus Opris concluded. RADOR, March 26
[03] Valeriu Stoica believes that political crisis should be solved before
the Budget was passed
In a letter to the Congress of the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL),
Valeriu Stoica is pleading for an immediate solution to the political
crisis, even if the prime minister or the whole government were supposed to
be dismissed. The PNL first vicepresident urges the PNL to determine the
end of the political crisis through democratic means, and then negotiate
the structure of a new government and a new governing programme. In his
opinion, the prime minister should have the political authority to
implement the programme. Mr Stoica says a detailed functioning programme of
the governing coalition should be drawn up to separate the political level
from the governing one. For the first time in a political document the idea
of the so-called algorithm is excluded to the benefit of a governing act
based on competence and honesty. At the end of his letter, Valeriu Stoica
urges the PNL Congress to mandate the PNL Permanent Bureau to start
negotiations with all democratic political forces and save the general
interests of Romania.
According to the same source, the Vicepresident of the ruling Democratic
Party (PD), Radu Berceanu, made these remarks about Mr Stoica's letter: "As
a governing coalition, we could find the formula of a new government, and
then sign the new political contract we had already proposed. I understand
that Mr Stoica agrees with it and, some days before the final vote, the
matter could be solved and the new government could implement the Budget".
RADOR, March 26
[04] PD position concerning Ordinance 22
Deputy Speaker of the House of Deputies Radu Berceanu declared that,
according to a PD proposal put forward in both the Public Administration
Commission and at the meeting of the Permanent Bureau, a government
official should be designated to announce if the Cabinet were still
supporting the articles in Ordinance 22 the Senate had rejected. If the
government did not support those articles anymore, then the PD
representatives would vote against the amendment rejecting the Ordinance
22. In such conditions, the draft law will return to the Senate, and the PD
point of view could have the chance to be adopted. RADOR, March 26
[05] Attorney General's Office demanded the immunity of PDSR Deputy Serban
Mihailescu lifted
In an official letter to the Justice Ministry, the Attorney General's
Office in Romania intimated that the immunity of PDSR Deputy Serban Petre
Mihailescu should be lifted. In September 1994, during his mandate as
secretary of state with the Transport Ministry and head of the Naval
Transport Department, Serban Mihailescu has approved the pay of 150,000
dollars to the Greek company Drosinos Elefterios for clearing the Danubian
channel of Sulina and lifting the wreck of the Rostock vessel back to
surface. Mr Mihailescu is accused of ignoring the negative notification he
received from the Romanian Finance Ministry. The prosecutors believe that
the PDSR deputy could be taken to court for abuse against public interest.
RADOR, March 26
[06] Trade union protests
Protest demonstrations were initiated yesterday in Bucharest and other
Romanian cities by the drivers' trade union federation. Among other things,
the drivers demand accise duties on petrol products suspended, reduced
fiscality for professional lorry drivers and ask the Transport Ministry to
draw up a plan guaranteeing investments for route transport improvements.
At the Government building in Bucharets, a trade union delegation met
Secretary of State Vlad Rosca, also the head of the Department for
relations with trade unions and employers. According to a press communique,
a meeting between ministers in the field and trade union representatives
was agreed on March 31, when trade unionists' demands would be subject to
debates. RADOR, March 26
[07] International Book Fair in Leipzig
Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has gone yesterday for a 24-hour
visit to Germany where he is expected to attend the International Book Fair
in Leipzig. The fair opened on Wednesday and Romania was the guest of
honour. Mr Constantinescu is expected to make a speek at the opening
ceremony. The Book Fair in Leipzig will provide the opportunity to promote
a series of Romanian events - exhibitions, theatre performances, the
Romanian Film Week, etc. The fair is to close on March 28. RADOR, March
26
[08] Accusations against workers of the Romanian embassy in Bonn
On Tuesday evening, Romanian President Emil Constantinescu has urged the
Government to designate a special commission in 24 hour time and open an
enquiry amid accusations the Attorney's Office in Germany and the German
police made against some workers with the Romanian embassy in Bonn. The
workers are suspected of issuing fake documents for Romanian criminals
using children as pickpockets. RADOR, March 26
The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) spokesperson said the authorities in
Bonn did not sent any formal notification yet concerning the activity at
the Romanian embassy in Bonn. MAE was an immediate contact with the embassy
in Bonn and demanded its diplomats to ask the German authorities to provide
further details about the incident. MAE has invited the deputy attache with
the German embassy in Bucharest for talks concerning the evidence in the
enquiry to compare it with the information provided by the MAE and MI data
base. MAE has ordered an enquiry and its results were expected at the week
end. The MAE spokesperson stressed that, according to diplomatic
proceedings between two friend countries especially, if such incidents
occured they should be discussed first with the officials in the country
involved. The dialogue should not start in the press, he added. RADOR,
March 26
[09] Prime Minister Ciorbea met the president of the European Parliament
The President of the European Parliament Jose Maria Gil Robles Gil Delgado
had talks with Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea on Wednesday. The
prime minister praised the role the European Parliament play in the EU
enlargement process and provided details concerning the current stage of
reform in the country. The guest praised the reform programme the Romanian
Government promoted and its legal steps in the fight against drug
traffiking and organised crime. Mr Delgado said he was impressed by the
popular support for the EU accession. Romanian Minister for European
Integration Alexandru Herlea attended the meeting and presented the main
goals in the national plan of Romania's EU accession. According to
Government sources, Mr Delgado said a EU delegate was to present a report
concerning the Romanians' chances to travel to the EU countries without an
entry visa. RADOR, March 26
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