MINELRES: Romania: Bulletin DIVERS on Ethnic Minorities - 26 (154)/2005

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


Divers Bulletin no. 26 (154) / July 11, 2005

News
HADARENI TRIAL SOLVED BY EUROPEAN COURT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
PRESIDENT SAYS ROMANIA HAS TO SOLVE THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF THE ETHNIC
ROMA MINORITY
FOREIGN MINISTRY: �ANTI-SEMITISM WILL NEVER BE TOLERATED IN ROMANIA�
UDMR PROPOSES TO CORRELATE THE DEVELOPMENT PLANS OF HUNGARY AND ROMANIA
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR ETHNIC ROMA
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News

HADARENI TRIAL SOLVED BY EUROPEAN COURT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

BUCHAREST � European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) decided to pardon 18
of the 25 ethnic Roma involved in the inter-ethnic conflicts in 1993,
from Hadareni village in Mures (central Romania), after having accepted
the offer of the Romanian state to give up the trial.
Thus, the 18 ethnic Roma people decided to amiably solve the litigation
with the Romanian state, after the Government undertook to pay them sums
ranking between EUR11,000 and 23,000 as material and moral
compensations, informs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). 
Altogether, the Romanian state undertakes to initiate or continue the
enforcement of some measures to improve the ethnic Roma status. The
measures concern the improvement of the educational programs to prevent
and fight ethnic Roma discrimination, stimulation of ethnic Roma
participation to the economic, social, cultural and political life,
namely the identification, the prevention and solving of the conflicts
generating family, communitarian or interethnic violence.
ECHR grounded its decision upon the fact the events from Hadareni took
place during a period Romania was not part to the Convention and the
internal courts sentenced 12 villagers involved in this case. 
Moreover, the court in Strasbourg settled the claimants received
compensations for the suffered material and moral prejudices and the
Government allotted budgetary funds meant to reconstruct the damaged or
destroyed houses.
Author: DIVERS


PRESIDENT SAYS ROMANIA HAS TO SOLVE THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF THE ETHNIC
ROMA MINORITY

BUCHAREST � President Traian Basescu stated on June 30, during the
international conference on ''Democratia si rolul legii in Romania si
sud-estul Europei: provocari si perspective'' (Democracy and the role of
law in Romania and in South-Eastern Europe), organized by Foundation
Konrad Adenauer, that Romania must solve the problem of the ethnic
Romania minority, in case of which there are aspects connected to
education.
"Romania has been considered a role-model since 1996, as regards the way
the politicians solved the problem of living together with the ethnic
Hungarian minority�, said Basescu, adding that Romania has another
problem connected to the ethnic Roma minority, which does no longer
involve the same political effort as in the case of the ethnic
Hungarians.
Basescu claims that not only Romania but almost the entire Europe faces
this problem. "Through the new legislation to be promoted in this field,
any minority could value the rights asked by the EU. In case of the
ethnic Roma, we must double the resource to stimulate the ethnic
minority that will have to grow up by itself", also said the president.
He claims it is �a matter of education, awakening of the conscience of
the ethnic Roma minority of the fact it has rights it can value".
According to the president, the trial will be more difficult, longer and
more expensive.
Author: DIVERS


FOREIGN MINISTRY: �ANTI-SEMITISM WILL NEVER BE TOLERATED IN ROMANIA�

JERUSALEM � �Anti-Semitism will never be tolerated in Romania, we must
establish a society ensuring equal rights for all its citizens no matter
the origin, language, color of the skin or religion�, stated Foreign
Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu, on the occasion of a conference held at
the Hebraic University in Jerusalem.
During the conference ''Fata in fata cu istoria. Romania si
Holocaustul'' (Face to face with history. Romania and Holocaust), the
chief of the diplomacy in Bucharest reminded though the historiography
during the communist period shadowed the tragedy suffered during the
second World War by the Romanian Jewish people, the youngsters in our
country are presently presented the size of the systematic crimes they
were subjected to by the Romanian authorities at that time in order to
prevent the apparition of such discriminatory actions. He reviewed the
activity of the International Commission to Study the Holocaust in
Romania (Wiesel Commission), concluded at the end of 2004 with
presenting a report published and distributed in libraries and on the
Internet. In addition, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs reminded the
Government in Bucharest decided that by October 9, when it is
commemorated the Day of Holocaust in Romania, a memorial monument is
built in Romania, and Ministry of Culture is currently working at a
project to establish a Museum of the Holocaust.
ihai-Razvan Ungureanu also talked about the activity of the centers of
Judaic studies in Romania that will soon be enabled to collaborate with
a national institute to study the Holocaust and made a detailed
description on teaching the history of the Holocaust in the Romanian
schools. He stated that in 25% of the Romanian high-schools it is being
taught the optional course on this phenomenon and in the history program
for the 8th, 10th and 11th classes, pages about the Holocaust were
inserted. Altogether, there were also reminded the training of the
Romanian history teachers to teach this chapter, effort developed by
Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Institute of Memorial
Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the printing this year�s fall of a new
manual on the optional course History of the Holocaust.


UDMR PROPOSES TO CORRELATE THE DEVELOPMENT PLANS OF HUNGARY AND ROMANIA

CLUJ-NAPOCA � Democratic Union of ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR)
proposed at the Hungarian Standing Conference that took place on June
30, at Budapest, the Governments of Romania and Hungary correlate their
national development plans. 
UDMR vice-president on problems of European Accession Kerekes Gabor,
namely the one that made this proposal, stated on Friday, July 1, at
Cluj-Napoca, a final decision in that respect will be made in October
2005. He claims that subsequent to Romania�s accession to the European
Union, the weight centers in the border region with Hungary will
transfer to the Romanian cities Timisoara, Arad and Oradea.
Secretary of state in the Romanian Ministry of European Accession in
Romania Csutak Istvan stated on his turn "the main advantages will be in
the field of cross-border cooperation. The proximity policy of the
European Union enables the drawing up of border projects. Provided there
is a correlation of the two national development plans, important
European funds can be attracted for the development of the
infrastructure of environment rehabilitation", explained Csutak Istvan.
According to him, if there is being sent a political signal that at the
level of the political class exists a decision on the development of the
infrastructure and exists collaboration between the two Governments,
this signal will be positively received at Brussels. 
Author: DIVERS


PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR ETHNIC ROMA

BUCHAREST � During July 9 -17, it will takes place in Bucharest the
first seminary of the course Public Diplomacy for Ethnic Roma organized
by the European Bureau to Inform the Ethnic Roma in Brussels (ERIO) and
Diplo Foundation in Geneva (DIPLO).
The members of the managing board are representatives of the main
European political parties (Popular, Socialist and Liberal Party), of
the Council of Europe, of OSCE, along with academicians and the
president of the European Forum of Ethnic Roma, organization functioning
under the protection of the Council of Europe.
The seminary in Brussels meets 25 ethnic Roma young activists in 12
European countries. The main topics of discussion of the course will be
taught by representatives of Council of Europe, of OSCE, of the
Delegation of the European Commission in Bucharest and by
representatives of the foreign diplomacies in Romania. Ethnic Roma
activists as well as former minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta,
Dr.Alex Trigona will teach classes of the ethnic Roma youngsters.
The one-year course enjoys the support of the Government of Switzerland,
of the Embassy of Norway in Bucharest and its partners are Romani Criss
and Roma Participation Program an initiative of Open Society Institute.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Presidency of Romania as well as the
Embassy of the United States in Bucharest showed their interest in
supporting the initiative ERIO �DIPLO. The official opening of the
course will take place on July 11, 2005. 
Author: DIVERS

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