MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 21(149)/2005

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


Divers Bulletin no. 21 (149) / June 7, 2005

News
HUNGARIAN LEADER REJECTS THE POLITICAL CONNOTATIONS WITHIN THE
INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS...
..WHILE L. TOKES APPEALS THE PUBLIC OPINION FOR NON-ENFORCING THE LAW
ON THE MINORITIES
SEMINARY OF THE LAW ON THE STATUTE OF THE NATIONAL MINORITIES
KINGA GAL: ETHNIC HUNGARIAN MINORITY SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN UNIVERSITIES
TRIANON TREATY SIGNING MARKED BY ETHNIC HUNGARIANS
NATIONALIST POLITICIAN RETURNS AS CHIEF OF GREATER ROMANIA PARTY 
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News

HUNGARIAN LEADER REJECTS THE POLITICAL CONNOTATIONS WITHIN THE
INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS...

BUCHAREST � The chairman of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in
Romania (UDMR) Marko Bela criticized last week, the open letter
addressed on Wednesday, May 25, the Premier Calin Popescu-Tariceanu by
PSD executive chairman Adrian Nastase, regarding the law draft on the
statute of the minorities drawn up by the Union.
Marko Bela claims this letter proves "a subordination of political and
politicians� interests". "The content of the letter can be easily
fought. I want to say I am not surprised that in 2005 we did not manage
to overcome the moment, the approach of the ethnic problem depending
upon the position in the Parliament. Within the Romanian politics, if
someone is a part of the ruling alliance next to UDMR, is pro-minority
and if in the opposition and UDMR, it is the ruling alliance, eventually
anti-minority", stated Marko Bela.
UDMR leader admitted that during PSD government many problems were
solved and it was acknowledged that Nastase�s approach is only an
accident.
According to UDMR chairman, the Law on the national minorities includes
the same principles on which there was grounded the support UDMR granted
PSD, during 2000 and 2004, when the social-democrats were the ruling
alliance. Marko Bela claims the problems of the inter-ethnic relations
must lose "the political connotations" and stresses upon the fact the
establishment of the councils for cultural autonomy stipulated by the
Law on the minorities are also a part of the complex decentralization
process demanded by the European Commission.
Author: DIVERS

..WHILE L. TOKES APPEALS THE PUBLIC OPINION FOR NON-ENFORCING THE LAW
ON THE MINORITIES

TARGU-MURES � The chairman of the National Ethnic Hungarian Council, the
reformed pastor Laszlo Tokes, asked the important figures in the fields
of church and public life in Romania, as well as to UDMR politicians to
cease the enactment of the law on the statute of the minorities in
Romania.
According to Laszlo Tokes, the ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania need a
law as regards the autonomy and not a law on the minorities. "We must
avoid passing a long-term law, which does not offer any perspective to
the faith and future of the ethnic Hungarians".
Reporter: The law proposed by UDMR and already enacted by the government
is to be passed by the Senate and the final decision will belong to the
Chamber of Deputies. According to Tokes, UDMR leaders must be convinced
that instead of superficial solutions, the ethnic Hungarians must be
ensured consistent rights.
Author: DIVERS

SEMINARY OF THE LAW ON THE STATUTE OF THE NATIONAL MINORITIES

TIRGU MURES � Cultural Foundation "Bernady Gyorgy" organized at the end
of last week a seminary as regards the Law on the statute of the
national minorities, informs a release given to the press.
The debates were attended by UDMR chairman Marko Bela, minister delegate
Borbely Laszlo and UDMR Mures chairman, deputy Kelemen Attila.
Vice-premier Marko Bela supported the work "Comunitati nationale -
drepturi - integrare" (National communities-rights-accession) and
senator Frunda Gyogy, as chairman of the Monitoring Commission of the
Council of Europe presented the study "Consiliul Europei si minoritatile
nationale" (Council of Europe and the national minorities).
Author: DIVERS

KINGA GAL: ETHNIC HUNGARIAN MINORITY SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN UNIVERSITIES

BUCHAREST � The ethnic Hungarian minority and any other important
minority in Romania should have its own universities for the youngsters
to remain in the respective communities, stated on Friday, June 3,
during the PPE meeting, Kinga Gal, vice-chairman of the Joint
Parliamentary Committee Romania-EU.
"The Government must understand the ethnic Hungarian minority and any
other important minority that needs universities, so that the new
generations see themselves as members of the respective community",
stated Kinga Gal at PPE meeting in Bucharest. "EU is a place these
problems can be solved. I believe that a more complex concept to solve
the problem of the minorities could be found within the EU", stated
Kinga Gal.
She explained what is the reason to render her skeptical in that
respect: "non-synchronization" between the communitarian acquis and the
practice in the membership states.
"The countries to accede to the EU will face this problem. All the
problems of the communities � and I talk about the important ones, the
ethnic Roma in Romania and Bulgaria and the ethnic Hungarians in Romania
� cannot be solved through a general protection of the humans� rights
and through a law against the discrimination", stated Gal, adding that
such a legal framework could be given by the enactment of the law on the
minorities.
Author: DIVERS

TRIANON TREATY SIGNING MARKED BY ETHNIC HUNGARIANS

COVASNA - Nearly three hundred Hungarians in Covasna County attended
ceremonies on Saturday to mark the signing of the Trianon Treaty,
answering an invitation of the Hungarian Civic Union's Sfantu Gheorghe
branch, local press reports.
The 300 people gathered in downtown Sfantu Gheorghe and set off on a
silent march, wearing mourning signs and a Hungarian flag with a black
ribbon. The head of the Union, Gazda Zoltan, called for autonomy and
asked the Hungarian community to fight for its rights. 
Two hundred people participated in ceremonies dedicated to the same
event in Gheorgheni.
Author: DIVERS

NATIONALIST POLITICIAN RETURNS AS CHIEF OF GREATER ROMANIA PARTY 

BUCHAREST - The Popular Greater Romania Party's National Council
unanimously voted on Saturday to change the party's name back to Greater
Romania Party and to welcome ex-party leader Corneliu Vadim Tudor as
president of the organization, local press reports.
Tudor, known for his ultra-nationalist stance, gave up the party
presidency in March this year and assumed an honorary position inside
the organization. Simultaneously, the Greater Romania Party passed a
resolution changing its name and affirming its intention to join the
European Peoples' Party (EPP).
Recently, Tudor expressed his intentions to return as party leader,
attracting criticism from his successor, Corneliu Ciontu.
Subsequently, Ciontu and Deputy Anghel Stanciu were expelled from the
party by Tudor, who accused the two leaders of betraying the
organization and trying to sell it to the Social Democrats.
Ciontu dismissed these charges and said he would file a complaint
against Tudor because the latter had not authority to expel party
members.
However, the party's National Council overwhelmingly voted against the
two expelled leaders.
After taking over presidency of the organization, Tudor made a press
statement accusing Ciontu of several wrongdoings, calling him an
"impostor."
He said Ciontu refused to collaborate with the governing coalition,
preferring to stay close to the former ruling Social Democrats and being
paid for his support.
Tudor also said he was tricked into accepting to step down from party
presidency by his Italian advisors, whom he later exposed as agents of
the Italian secret services.
He said one of his advisors allegedly told him to step down till after
the EU Accession Treaty was signed because he could endanger the
country's European integration.
One of Tudor's strongest supporters, party vice president Lucian Bolcas
said on Friday that the European Peoples' Party was "anti-Romanian" and
most of its members were against the signing of the Accession Treaty.
He said EPP leaders tried to link Greater Romania Party's joining the
group to Tudor's removal.
Bolcas said the party will have nothing to lose if some of its
parliamentarians left because the organization needs strong, loyal
people, who are not interested in privileges for themselves.
Author: DIVERS

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