MINELRES: News from Moldova: racist articles in the newspaper/CoE decision

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Mon Apr 26 12:38:09 2004


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News from Moldova: racist articles in the newspaper/CoE decision 
 

YHCA-Moldova

NICOLAE DABIJA DID NOT GIVE UP HIS RACIST IDEAS
     Chisinau,  April  22  /Moldpres/ - Nicolae  Dabija,   Deputy
Chairman of the Social-Liberal  Party  /PSL,  extraparliamentary/
and editor-in-chief of the weekly  "Literatura  si  Arta"  -  the
press body of the Writers' Union - insists that his racist ideas,
set forth in the editorial "Rusoaicele-2" /The Russian  women-2/,
are right and, according to him, they will prove to  be  true  in
future.
     At the end of a large article published in the last but  one
number of the weekly "Literatura si  Arta",  Dabija  writes  that
"some years should pass, maybe twenty, maybe fifty, so  that  you
see, however, how right I was".
     His stand was backed by Cornel Cuirea,  another  PSL  deputy
chairperson and the author of leading articles of  the  newspaper
"Democratia". In the 13 April number  of  "Democratia",  the  PSL
Deputy Chairman justifies the beliefs of Dabija. Cuirea said that
the latter, "being a writer, had the right to write an article of
the  kind  "Rusoaicele-2".  The  idea  of   "ethnic    pureness",
implicitly promoted by Dabija, is not  even  a  racist  one.  The
arguments  of  the  writer  can  be  simply  interpreted  as    a
sociological biologism", Cornel Cuirea writes.
     Editor-in-chief  of  the  newspaper  "Timpul"  /The    Time/
Constantin Tanase backs  Nicolae  Dabija.  In  his  opinion,  the
latter "was caught on the wrong foot, and now he is being hit  in
order to be defeated". In the article "Who are the prosecutors?",
published in the "Timpul" number of April 9,  the  author  writes
that "not  Dabija  is  hit,  but  Serebrian,  Urecheanu,  and  by
"rebound", all the intellectuals who have not joined the  current
regime under its banner".
     In the same number, "Timpul"  publishes  an  interview  with
poet Grigore Vieru, who also supports Nicolae  Dabija,  and  says
that "the scandal around Nicolae Dabija is artificial".
     Editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Jurnal  de  Chisinau"  Val
Butnaru in the number of April 9 publishes  an  article  entitled
"The lesson of the cowards". He wonders why "so much  fuss"  about
the  statements  of  Dabija.  "As  long  as  all  the  people  in
Bessarabia do not learn and do not speak both languages fluently,
we can not even expect interethnic peace. If you want  harmonious
bilinguism, let it be harmonious", Butnaru writes. He  recognizes
that "it is a pure nonsense to say that children with handicap are
born in the mixed families. However, as I have said, there is the
problem and it is  worth  being  discussed",  Butnaru  writes  in
conclusion.
     The  appeals  to  xenophobia  that  are  contained  in   the
editorials signed by Nicolae Dabija were condemned by leaders  of
the  political  parties  of  the  country  and  by  the  European
organizations, while the leadership of the  Social-Liberal  Party
did not apply any sanction against him on  party  line,  although
"PSL withdrew its support publicly from the  statements  made  by
Dabija".
     Member of the  standing  Bureau  of  the  Alliance  "Moldova
Noastra" Anatol  Taranu  said  that  "the  statements  of  Dabija
concerns the author, and only he can reason why he thinks in  one
way or  another".  "The  stands  of  Dabija  are  not  worth  the
attention they were paid", Taranu underscored.
     Chairman of the Social-Democratic Party Ion Musuc said  that
"if the article was a joke of April 1, then it was a  broad  one.
The material shows a primitive thinking, of cave. We declare for
the unification of the Moldovans and for the constitution  of  an
honest nation, while Dabija calls to division and hatred  in  his
article. I am against the division of  the  people  according  to
certain principles, including ethnical ones.  It  is  an  archaic
concept that is condemned by the whole Europe".
     Chairman of the Christian Democratic People's  Party  /CDPP,
in opposition/ Iurie Rosca refused to comment on the  article  of
Dabija. He suggested that if MOLDPRES is interested in his stand,
it can take over  the  piece  of  information  diffused  by  "the
independent  agency  Flux",  the  CDPPP  leader  is   the    main
shareholder of.
     The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers labelled  the
article "Rusoaicele-2" as an example of  xenophobia,  racism  and
linguistic hatred.
     Nicolae Dabija continues to  exercise  the  post  of  deputy
chairman of the Social-Liberal Party. -0-
  
ition/ Iurie Rosca refused to comment on the  article  of
Dabija. He suggested that if MOLDPRES is interested in his stand,
it can take over  the  piece  of  information  diffused  by  "the
independent  agency  Flux",  the  CDPPP  leader  is   the    main
shareholder of.
     The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers labelled  the
article "Rusoaicele-2" as an example of  xenophobia,  racism  and
linguistic hatred.
     Nicolae Dabija continues to  exercise  the  post  of  deputy
chairman of the Social-Liberal Party. -0-



  COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE DISAPPROVES OF CALLS
TO XENOPHOBIA OF DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF SOCIAL-LIBERAL PARTY

     Chisinau, Apr 22 /Moldpres/ - The Committee of Ministers  of
the Council of Europe labelled  yesterday  evening,  the  article
"Russian women 2" by Nicolae Dabija, Deputy Chairman of the  PSL,
and Editor-in-chief of the paper "Literatura si  Arta",  body  of
the Writers' Union of  Moldova,  as  an  example  of  xenophobia,
racialism  and  linguistic  hate.
     The representative of  the  Government  of  Romania  to  the
Committee of Ministers recoznised  that  Bucharest  financed  the
"Literature and Art", but not on the  purpose  of  spreading  the
racist ideas.
     The CE Committee of Ministers recommended  to  the  European
Commission for the fight against  racialism  and  intolerance  to
take attitude regarding this manifestation of xenophobia and hate
against other ethnical  groups,  inadmissible  in  a  modern  and
democratical Europe.
     The CE Committee of Ministers considered  as  opportune  the
adoption of such a decision, since lately in  Moldova,  in  press
and  other  bodies  of  public  attitude,  it   is    seen    the
rehabilitation of the xenophobe attack of Dabija. The purpose  of
this decision is to notice Moldovan society and the international
community on the inadmissibility of such actions.
     The Representative of the Government of Romania  to  the  CE
Committee of Ministers  criticised  the  article  of  Dabija  and
reiterated  readiness  of  Bucharest  to  put  up  resistance  to
racialism, xenophobia and intolerance in all  the  cases  without
any exceptions.
     Making reference to the fact that the  paper  in  which  was
published the article - "Literatura si Arta"  -  is  financed  by
Romanian Government, the dighnitary of  Bucharest  stressed  that
Romania has never financed xenophobia, racialism and intolerance,
including in Moldova. If "Literatura si  Arta"  was  financed  by
Romania, the purpose of this action was not the spread of  racist
ideas through the paper.
     Moldovan  representative  to  Strasbourg  expressed   regret
regarding the use not in conformity to  the  destination  of  the
money of Romania on the territory of Moldova. He underlined  that
this case, alongside many others, demonstrates  the  necesity  of
coordination  with  Chisinau  of  the  actions  of  the  Romanian
Government on the territory of Moldova. -0-