MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Diversity Briefs, No.36

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Mediafax <divers@mediafax.ro>


No. 36 / December 16, 2002

DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -

SUMMARY
1. POLICE KILLS TWO ETHNIC ROMA FOLLOWING SEARCH FOR DELINQUENTS
2. HUNGARY AGREES TO AMEND THE STATUS LAW�
3. �AND IS TO CHANGE IT THIS YEAR. 
4. UDMR TO ASSESS PROTOCOL SIGNED WITH PSD IN JANUARY
5. DISPUTES OVER ESTABLISHING THE BOARD OF THE ROMANIANS FROM SERBIA 

POLICE KILLS TWO ETHNIC ROMA FOLLOWING SEARCH FOR DELINQUENTS
BUHUSI - Two people were shot dead by the police in the northern
Romanian city of Buhusi on December 5 following a special search for
delinquents in an area majority inhabited by ethnic Roma. According to
police, the police officers fired in self-defense after they were
attacked by the victims. Four policemen were injured. Romani CRISS
association, a NGO defending Roma people rights, said in a report that
"the police used force disproportionately on the search in Roma houses
or the arrest of Roma suspects" and that the suspects were targeted
because of their race. "The use of force and the endowment weaponry
against Roma were not justified. At least one of the Roma persons deadly
shot was not wanted by the police or regarded by them in that moment",
according to Romani CRISS. On December 10, the organisation held a
meeting in downtown Bucharest to protest police discrimination. (DIVERS)


HUNGARY AGREE TO AMEND THE STATUS LAW�
BUCHAREST - Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana and Hungarian
counterpart Laszlo Kovac agreed on December 11 on the six basic
principles to underlie the amendments to the law on the Status of ethnic
Hungarians living beyond their country's borders. One of the principles
would require the consent of the neighboring country for support granted
by Hungary to ethnic Hungarians living in that country. Laszlo Kovacs
told a press conference that helping the Hungarians living outside
Hungary's borders prosper in their country of origin, along with helping
them preserve and cultivate their national identity are two important
goals of the Hungarian Government. Kovacs added that, as far as Romania
is concerned, the law aims at supporting the cultural identity of ethnic
Hungarians there without affecting Romania's interests. On his part,
Mircea Geoana underscored that the amendment process must also focus on
the extraterritorial and discriminatory effects of this law, which are
incompatible with European law. "The amending of this law mark 'the end
of a process that has wasted too much political energy, and has
spectacularly developed into a good bilateral relationship,'' said the
Romanian Foreign Minister. The two foreign ministers also settled the
issue of the Emanoil Gojdu Foundation's assets in Hungary, by setting up
a Romanian-Hungarian European Institute. The Romanian authorities handed
over to their Hungarian counterparts an ''aide-memoire'' with concrete
proposals to this end. (DIVERS)


�AND IS TO CHANGE IT THIS YEAR
BUDAPEST - The Hungarian government wants to submit an amendment to the
controversial Status Law to parliament later this month despite the fact
that consultations on the law with Romania and Slovakia are still in
progress, RFE/RL Newsline reports. Zsolt Nemeth of the opposition FIDESZ
said the cabinet is hesitating on issues affecting ethnic Hungarians
abroad and thus encouraging certain neighboring countries. He said
Hungary and ethnic Hungarians abroad now find themselves on the
defensive in asserting their interests. "Nepszabadsag" reported that the
Romanian press has described the 11 December meeting between the two
countries' foreign ministers as "a diplomatic failure for Hungary."
(DIVERS)


UDMR TO ASSESS PROTOCOL SIGNED WITH PSD IN JANUARY
BUCHAREST - Starting January, the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania (UDMR) will evaluate the fulfillment of the protocol signed with
ruling social-democrat party PSD for this year and will probably start
the debates with the governance party related to a new protocol for year
2003. According to UDMR vice-chairman Laszlo Borbely, so far UDMR aims
at accomplishing some issues of the current protocol, such as to
establish faculties at Babes Bolyai University from Cluj and to recede
church real estates. "Though an ordinance exists in this respect, still
the buildings which used to belong to the churches have not been given
back yet ", said UDMR vice-chairman. (DIVERS)


DISPUTES OVER ESTABLISHING THE BOARD OF THE ROMANIANS FROM SERBIA
BELGRADE - In Virset locality from Vojvodina (Serbia), on Saturday
December 7, it was set up the National Board of the Romanians from
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, meeting summoned up by the Federal
Ministry for National and Ethnical Communities from this country.
According to Radio Romania station, the 98 electors designated, by means
of secret vote, the 21 future members of the board. Still, the elections
were characterized by certain disputes, after part of the Romanian
organizations from Vojvodina and Valea Timocului left the works of the
session, as a sign of non-acknowledgement towards the Board's authority.
It is about the coalition made up of Romanians Community from
Yugoslavia, Romanians Alliance from Voivodina, the Democrat Movement of
the Romanians from Serbia, Ariadnae Filum Association and Cultural
Center of the Romanians from Valea Timocului. On this occasion, the
chairman of the Romanians Community from Yugoslavia, Ion Cismas, said
that the situation turned so tensed as the number of the Romanian
minorities from Yugoslavia is higher than settled at the census held in
year 1991 and, in this respect, the National Board's members number
should have been increased to 29 persons, so as the entire Romanian
minority from Yugoslavia could be represented. (DIVERS)


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