From: msirbu@next5.cs.umr.edu (Mihai Sirbu)
Subject: Romania/Moldova News from RFE/RL, 21 Jan 1993
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 16:27:08 GMT
Organization: University of Missouri-Rolla, Missouri's Technological University

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RFE/RL Daily Report              No. 13, 21 January 1993

MELESCANU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT RELATIONS WITH HUNGARY. On 20 January
Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu told an RFE/RL
correspondent in Bucharest that he believed relations with Hungary
are "on the threshold of rapid improvement." Melescanu said that
his assessment is based on new and positive developments in
negotiations with Hungarian Foreign Minister Geza Jeszenszky. He
also said that he was gratified by the progress in negotiations
for a basic bilateral treaty between Hungary and Romania, but
added that formal recognition of Romania's present border with
Hungary was necessary for completion of that treaty.  Dan Ionescu,
RFE/RL, Inc.

HUMAN RIGHTS IN UKRAINE, BELARUS, MOLDOVA, . . . In its annual
report to Congress on the status of human rights around the world,
the US State Department says Ukraine made "significant progress"
in 1992, including establishment of a multiparty system and
legislation to protect the civil and political rights of
minorities--and despite many bureaucratic obstacles, the lack of a
constitution to replace that of the Soviet era, and the inability
of the legislature to function independently of the executive
branch.  Specific human rights problem areas mentioned in the 19
January report are ethnic tensions, especially in the Crimea,
cases of intolerance between religious groups, and limitations on
freedom of expression. In Moldova too, the situation has generally
improved, the report says, but questions concerning ethnic
minorities "remain pressing," and complaints of job discrimination
in the government against nonspeakers of Romanian have been
raised. Widespread allegations of human rights abuses in the
contested Transdniester region are difficult to verify and are
probably exaggerated by both sides, the report says.  Despite what
the report called "the limited extent of political reform" in
Belarus, the country has progressed in human rights.  Two problem
areas singled out were freedom of the press and the continuing
high level of dependence of the Belarusian economy on that of
Russia.  Charles Trumbull, RFE/RL, Inc.

MOLDOVAN-UKRAINIAN MILITARY AGREEMENT.  Adding to the information
on the Moldovan-Ukrainian agreement for military cooperation
initialed on 18 January in Chisinau, Moldovan Defense Minister
Pavel Creanga told Interfax on 19 January that the accord also
covers training in Ukraine of Moldovan officers and repairs in
Ukraine of Moldovan military equipment. In December 1992 Moldova
signed an agreement with Romania on military cooperation the most
salient point of which appears to be training of Moldovan officers
in Romania.  The agreement with Ukraine seems more far-reaching
than the known provisions of the agreement with Romania and, in
any case, reflects Moldova's policy of cooperating militarily with
both neighbors.  Vladimir Socor , RFE/RL, Inc.

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