MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Minority Briefs no 2 / 2004

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Original sender: Divers Buletin <edivers_buletin-admin@mediafax.ro>


Divers Buletin no. 2 (85) / January 26, 2004
News

SZEKLER LAND AUTONOMY PROJECT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ACCORDING TO ROMANIAN
OFFICIALS

UNINOMINAL VOTING MEANS NO MEASURE AGAINS MINORITIES REPRESENTATIVES, PM
SAYS

BERLIN GIVES EUR 2M GRANT TO GERMAN COMMUNITY IN ROMANIA

FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND MAGYARS ARE ASSIGNED HUNGARIAN IDS

COMMEMORATION OF VICTIMS OF LEGIONARY MASSACRE

PHOTO EXHIBITION CELEBRATES JEWS IN ROMANIA


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News

SZEKLER LAND AUTONOMY PROJECT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, ACCORDING TO ROMANIAN
OFFICIALS

BUCHAREST - The Country�s Supreme Defense Council (CSAT) gathered on
January 21 decided that the project pertaining to the Szekler Land
autonomy is �unconstitutional� and that the autonomy and the securing of
the rights of the national minorities must not be confused with the
territorial autonomy on ethnic principles, which is against the European
spirit and the democratic principles, according to a press release.
In his turn, President Ion Iliescu underlined that the observance of the
national liberties and rights is a distinct aspect as compared to an
autonomy based on ethnic criteria representing the basic element of the
initiative related to the Szekler Land. �The observance of the national
minorities� rights and freedoms is one thing, and such provisions which
secure a large framework and is even a model in Europe, have been
stipulated even in the new Constitution draft, while the basic element
of this initiative, an autonomy based on the ethnic criterion, is
something different. This is both anti-democratic and in discordance
with all the European principles. This was our objection�, the head of
the state said.
President Iliescu specified that CSAT did not analyze the basis of this
issue but only launched a signal referring to the basis of the issue.
Asked what measures will be taken, the Romanian President affirmed that
it is not CSAT that is expected to take any measures. 
Meeting in Sfantu-Gheorghe on 17 January, the Szekler National Council
(SZNT in Hungarian, CNS in Romanian) approved a draft-law proposal
regarding the autonomy of lands inhabited by the Szeklers, a group
within the Hungarian minority in Romania. . According to RFE/RL the
draft provides for the election of a president of the Szekler lands to
serve a four-year mandate, a local council serving as parliament, and a
police force serving under the local council. Prosecutors and judges are
to be bilingual in Romanian and Hungarian and to reflect the
demographics of the region. The draft is to be presented to the Romanian
parliament in early February. (DIVERS)
summaryUNINOMINAL VOTING MEANS NO MEASURE AGAINS MINORITIES
REPRESENTATIVES, PM SAYS

BUCHAREST - The introduction of the uninominal voting does not bring
about the abolishing of the Parliament, but eventually a lower number of
representatives in the legislative forum for a number of political
parties, said premier Adrian Nastase. His remarks were made in reaction
to statements of UDMR Chairman, Marko Bela. Marko said in a press
conference that his party continues to reject the idea of uninominal
voting, and the change of the current electoral system would lead UDMR
outside the parliament and would stir inter-ethnic strains. "I don't
want to threaten anybody. This is the Yugoslav model as an alternative
to the parliamentary instrument, and whoever wants to push UDMR outside
the parliament is opting for the Yugoslav model", Marko Bela said.
(DIVERS)
summaryBERLIN GIVES EUR 2M GRANT TO GERMAN COMMUNITY IN ROMANIA

SIBIU � The German Minister of Home Affairs in 2004 will assure EUR 2m
finance to deploy social, economic and youth projects in the benefit of
the German community from Romania, stated on January 19 Frank Reuter,
director in Federal Ministry of Home Affairs, in charge with the support
to abroad German minorities. Frank Reuter stated that, despite the
economic census Germany is facing with, the amounts assigned to support
the German communities in Europe have not been affected whatsoever. Most
part of the money is addressed to maintain the two hospitals from Sibiu
and Timisoara and other smaller institutions wherein aged people of
German origins are accommodated, money representing about 40% of the
whole EUR 2m. (DIVERS)
summaryFOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND MAGYARS ARE ASSIGNED HUNGARIAN IDS

CLUJ-NAPOCA � Over four hundred thousand ethnic Hungarian from Romania
are beneficial of special IDs, issued by the Hungarian officials
according to the Status Law. The head of UDMR Executive Presidium�s
Information Center, Szekely Istvan, said on January 20 that about
423,000 requests to obtain Hungarian IDs were sent to the Budapest
authorities, of which 96 per cent were approved. According to his
statements, the number of requests rose in the first period since the
taking force of the Status Law, when about 15,000 requests were
registered weekly, then their number decreased at 2,000 � 3,000.
(DIVERS)
summaryCOMMEMORATION OF VICTIMS OF LEGIONARY MASSACRE

BUCHAREST - At Sinagoga Mare in Bucharest it took place on January 23
the commemoration of the legionary massacre�s victims occurred on
January 21-23, 1941. According to the historical data, out of the 490
dead and injured, 144 were Jewish and 346 Romanians. As a result of the
vandalism deeds, synagogues, markets and houses of the Jews were set on
fire. On this occasion, Razvan Theodorescu, Romanian Minister of Culture
and Faiths, said that " the Holocaust from Romania caused the death of
many Jewish people. The massacre from 1941 stood for a prelude to the
mass crime that followed. We will be watching over so that such grieves
could never happen in Romania". (DIVERS)
summaryPHOTO EXHIBITION CELEBRATES JEWS IN ROMANIA

BUCHAREST � French photographer Bruno Cogez has opened his �Jews in
Romania� photo exhibition at Sutu Palace in Bucharest. The pictures are
accompanied by interviews as well as literary passages by
Jewish-Romanian fiction writers. The texts attempt to reconstruct a
community that is now almost gone. The exhibition is the result of two
years of research. (DIVERS)
summary