From: msirbu@next6.cs.umr.edu (Mihai Sirbu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.romanian
Subject: Moldova/Romania News from RFE/RL Daily Report for August 31, 1992
Date: 31 Aug 92 15:37:59 GMT
Article-I.D.: umr.1992Aug31.153759.17675
Organization: University of Missouri-Rolla, Missouri's Technological University

The RFE/RL Daily Report is a digest of lastest developments
in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. It is published
Monday through Friday (except German holidays) by the
RFE/RL Research Institute (a division of Radio Free Europe/
Radio Liberty, Inc.). Copyright 1992 RFE/RL, Inc.


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                      RFE/RL Daily Report

                                         No. 166, August 31, 1992

       SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

[...]

MOLDOVAN-ROMANIAN PRESIDENTIAL MEETING. Romanian President Ion
Ilescu met for four hours with Moldovan President Mircea Snegur
in Husi on the Romanian side of the common border on 28 August.
The two presidents informed the Romanian media afterwards that
they had discussed economic issues, and that Snegur had also
briefed Iliescu on current negotiations--from which Romania has
since July been excluded--to settle the Dniester conflict.  This
meeting prompted most of the Romanian press to renew its attacks
on the Snegur government for bowing to Russia's demand that
Romania be excluded from the negotiations and for opposing
unification with Romania. (Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.

"DNIESTER REPUBLIC" TO REIMPOSE RUSSIAN SCRIPT ON "MOLDOVAN
LANGUAGE." A draft "law on languages," currently before the
"Dniester Republic Supreme Soviet," would reimpose the Russian
alphabet for the "Moldovan language" (i.e.  Romanian) in schools
there, Radio Rossii reported on 24 August.  Moldovan schools in
that area switched to the Latin script following its
reinstatement in Moldova in 1989, and have since resisted the
"Dniester" authorities' orders to return the "Moldovan language"
to the Russian alphabet.  The proposed measure would give the
"Dniester" Russian authorities a pseudo-legal basis for enforcing
compliance.  (Vladimir Socor, RFE/RL Inc.)

                   CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

[...]
ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS SLOVENIA, CROATIA.  Returning
from the London conference, Adrian Nastase stopped over to visit
Slovenia and Croatia on 28 and 29 August. Radio Bucharest said
that Nastase was received by the presidents of the two countries
and signed agreements for establishing diplomatic relations. In
early August Romania offered to host a conference of the states
born on the ruins of former Yugoslavia. (Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL
Inc.)

[...]
ROMANIAN MINERS PROTEST LIVING STANDARDS. The miners called for a
week of demonstrations to protest declining living standards and
worsening conditions in the mining industry. Radio Bucharest
reports that a first rally was held on 29 August in Deva,
southern Transylvania. The protests, which are organized by the
Mine Union Federation, the Alfa Trade Union Cartel, and other
union associations, come amidst preparations for general and
presidential elections, scheduled for 27 September.  The unions
threaten a nationwide strike if authorities do not take steps to
protect jobs and guarantee social security. Meanwhile, Romania's
coalition government has vowed to go ahead with new subsidy cuts
on food, basic services, and energy despite threats of labor
unrest.  (Dan Ionescu, RFE/RL Inc.)

SCREENING FOR LITHUANIAN PARLIAMENT CANDIDATES?  On 28 August the
Lithuanian chief elections commission adopted a 26-question
application form for candidates in the Lithuanian parliamentary
elections on 25 October. The candidates will have to state
whether they have ever been employed by foreign secret services,
been recruited by the KGB, or been a member or officer in the
Lithuanian Communist Party.  Vytautas Radzvila, chairman of the
Lithuanian Liberal Union, told the RFE/RL Lithuanian Service that
he feels that, in order to avoid any suggestion of political
discrimination, it would have been preferable not to have singled
out membership in the Communist Party but rather to inquire about
membership in any political party. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.)

LATVIAN BORDER GUARDS KILLED. Two Latvian border guards died of
bullet and stab wounds on 26 August at the Yasenitsy post at the
Russian-Latvian border. According to BNS of 29 August, quoting
Diena, the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Criminal Records
Department said that the four Latvian border guards stationed at
the post had been drinking and quarreling that night.  Latvian
authorities refused further comment, but reports do not suggest a
political motive. (Riina Kionka, RFE/RL Inc.)

HAVEL PLANS RETURN TO PUBLIC LIFE. Speaking to reporters after
dinner with Czech Prime Minister Vaclav Klaus on 29 August,
former Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel said he was planning
to return to public life soon. Havel said that he did not
necessarily want to become the president of the Czech Republic
when the post is created but that he would like to be active in
public life in some capacity.  Havel also said that he was
satisfied with the 26 August talks between Klaus and Slovak Prime
Minister Vladimir Meciar, which produced an agreement that
Czechoslovakia will be divided into two states on 31 December
1992.  Havel said that the talks helped to calm down the public.
(Jiri Pehe, RFE/RL Inc.)

ZHELEV SHARPLY CRITICIZES UDF. At a press conference in Sofia on
30 August, Bulgarian president Zhelyu Zhelev called on the ruling
UDF to end its "policy of confrontation," or the coalition will
soon face "isolation and new elections," BTA reports.  Zhelev
accused the UDF government of declaring "all-out war" against
trade unions, the press, and the entire extraparliamentary
democratic opposition, and for trying to provoke conflicts
between different state institutions, including the presidency.
Referring to a opinion poll which suggests that the Socialist
Party is now ahead of the UDF, Zhelev warned the cabinet of the
consequences of ignoring the end results of its acts.  (Kjell
Engelbrekt, RFE/RL Inc.)

TOLGYESSY CRITICIZES GOVERNMENT. During a press conference on 28
August, Peter Tolgyessy, chairman of the opposition Alliance of
Free Democrats (AFD), criticized the performance of the governing
Hungarian Democratic Forum, MTI reports. Tolgyessy called that
the situation in the country "critical" and said the government
has no program to deal with the problems. Tolgyessy announced
that the AFD will hold a conference on 13 November and said he
expects the party will have a new leadership and a new program.
(Judith Pataki, RFE/RL Inc.)

COUNTER-OFFER ON BULGARIAN DEBT SETTLEMENT.  Deutsche Bank,
representing the more than 300 creditor banks to which Bulgaria
owes a total of $12 billion, has delivered a proposal on
resettlement, government spokeswoman Nadezhda Mihailova announced
on 30 August.  Mihailova told Reuters that no details could be
given at present but that for the first time the possibility
exists for an overall settlement.  Bulgaria presented its plan to
the creditors in early August. (Kjell Engelbrekt, RFE/RL Inc.)

RUSSIA DECREASES GAS SUPPLIES TO LITHUANIA.  On 29 August the
Lentransgaz firm cut supplies of natural gas to Lithuania by 55%,
Radio Lithuania reports.  Lithuania normally receives 7 million
cubic meters of gas a day from Russia.  Lithuanian gas officials
said that deliveries would be cut first to those enterprises that
have accumulated large debts to Russian suppliers. Household
users of gas should not expect any cuts in deliveries but may
have to pay more for their gas. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.)

ESTONIA'S INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT FALLS. Estonia's industrial output in
July was 37% lower than for the same period last year, BNS
reports.  Production fell the most in the paper, lumber, and
construction materials industries.  BNS reports that production
rose in some light industrial sectors such as clothing
manufacturing, meat packing, and textiles.  (Riina Kionka, RFE/RL
Inc.)

OPIC MISSION IN LITHUANIA. On 30 August, after completing visits
to Tallinn and Riga, a delegation of US businessmen sponsored by
the Overseas Private Investments Corporation (OPIC) arrived in
Vilnius, Radio Lithuania reports. On 31 August Prime Minister
Aleksandras Abisala and his deputy Bronislavas Lubys will
participate in an OPIC conference in Vilnius on investment
opportunities. Delegation head Fred Zeder told a news conference
in Riga on 29 August that the first result of the trip will be
the opening of an office of the US pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly
in Riga in September, BNS reports. (Saulius Girnius, RFE/RL Inc.)

[As of 1200 CET]
Compiled by Hal Kosiba & Charles Trumbull
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.romanian