[moldova] Infotag, 05.05.98

[radu_p...@hotmail.com]

Posted by Radu Pantiru

INFOTAG NEWS AGENCY (MOLDOVA)
> TUESDAY, MAY 5, 1998
> MOLDOVAN PARLIAMENT WILL PASS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN ANY
> GOVERNMENT PROPOSED BY PRESIDENT
> INFOTAG's commentary
> Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi today held the final round of
> consultations with parliamentary factions concerning the
> candidature for prime minister and new government composition.
> Already this week he is expected to sign a Decree on nominating
> the candidate. May be this will happen even before the
> Parliament's plenary sitting scheduled for Wednesday.
> By the Constitution, a candidate for prime minister is supposed
> to submit to the Parliament within a 15 day period the
> government's personal composition and work program, and the
> Parliament is to pass a vote of confidence in the Cabinet. In
> case the legislature deny confidence two or more times, the
> President has the right to dissolve the Parliament and announce
> an early parliamentary election.
> After the March 22 elections, the forum has formed a fragile
> right-centrist majority consisting of 26 deputies of the
> Democratic Convention (DCM), 24 deputies of the Bloc for
> Democratic and Prosperous Moldova (BDPM), and 11 deputies of the
> Party of Democratic Forces (PDF). The Communists, who have won
> 40 mandates in the 101-seat Parliament, found themselves in the
> opposition.
> The anti-Communist parliamentary coalition, which has named
> itself the Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (ADF), supported
> the election of centrist BDPM leader Dumitru Diakov Parliament
> Chairman, and two men from right-wing parties -- Iurie Rosca of
> the DCM and Valeriu Matei of the PDF were elected Deputy
> Speakers. When the Alliance was formed, its constituent parties
> agreed that the prime ministerial post would be held by a DCM
> representative, otherwise the Alliance would self-dissolve.
> After unprecedentedly hot, many-hour debates, the Democratic
> Convention nominated its candidate for prime minister --
> Valentin Dolganiuk of the Christian Democratic Popular Front. He
> was elected candidate by a secret ballot held inside the faction
> to chose between him and another man, Nicolae Andronic of the
> Party of Revival and Accord (PRAM) who proposed by Mircea
> Snegur, PRAM and ADF leader. Andronic received 10 ballots, and
> Dolganiuk -- 15.
> The voting became a third significant 'alarm signal' proving
> serious differences among DCM deputies representing the Party of
> Revival and Accord and the Popular Front. The first two signals
> were the refusal of Popular Front deputies to support Vladimir
> Ciobanu (PRAM) for the post of the Parliament's Permanent Bureau
> Secretary, and Nicolae Andronic for the 3rd Deputy Speaker.
> Though the PRAM and Popular Front have 9 deputies each, during
> the above secret ballot the Front deputies were 'assisted' by
> six DCM parliamentarians representing 3 petty parties which
> joined the Convention.
> The Dolganiuk's nomination candidate for premier shocked the
> DCM's partners from the centrist Bloc. They consider Dolganiuk
> as a man absolutely unfit for the high post. President Lucinschi
> has not yet voiced his attitude to such an unexpected
> perspective, but it seems obvious that he is not going to
> approve Dolganiuk for the post.
> There are very few people in Moldova who take the Dolganiuk's
> candidacy seriously. The Popular Front aspiration to have a
> premier of their own are devoid of any ground: holding only 9
> mandates or less than one-sixth of seats, having their man as a
> Deputy Speaker and thus having pushed aside the PRAM, the
> Popular Front is now seeking to win such a representation in
> executive power structures which is absolutely incompatible with
> the role the Front plays in the Moldova's public life.
> Besides this, no matter how the Front is now interpreting and
> camouflaging its Program's key provision -- on the historic
> necessity "to restore the unitary Romanian state", very many
> parliamentarians keep on considering the Front as a unionist
> organization and, already for that reason, would not even listen
> to entrusting the prime ministerial post to a Frontist.
> If the Convention fails to nominate another candidacy more or
> less suitable for the President, Petru Lucinschi will curb the
> Front's onset with a stroke of the pen -- by signing a Decree on
> nominating another candidate.
> So, what may be the President's choice? Politicians are
> mentioning several names.
> The most frequently mentioned is the name of the just resigned
> Prime Minister Ion Ciubuc. The President repeated several times
> he would like to further see Ciubuc at the post. But many
> parliamentarians believe Ion Ciubuc has not achieved anything
> remarkable during the 15 months of his office. And the report on
> his Cabinet's work results, which he made in parliament last
> week on the government resignation day, produced just a
> depressive impression on the legislature.
> Among other names are Minister of Finance Valeriu Chitan,
> Minister of Communication Ion Casian, Director General of the
> ARIA governmental agency for enterprise restructuring George
> Efros, President of Incon Group MP Ion Sturza, MP Nicolae
> Andronic, President of the Moldova Technical University Ion
> Bostan, Chisinau Mayor Serafim Urecheanu, National Bank Governor
> Leonid Talmaci, ADF leader Mircea Snegur.
> After Dolganiuk was nominated as a candidate, President
> Lucinschi has received a vast field for maneuvering. He can
> easily ruin the Alliance, and most politicians and public will
> readily approve his refusal to okay Dolganiuk, because any
> striving for accord and consensus has its limits, too.
> The Parliament will vote for any prime ministerial candidature
> and for any list of ministers to be forwarded by the President,
> because there will definitely be at least 51 deputies in the
> forum who are reluctant to quit the long-aspired forum chairs
> only several days after winning them. Even the Russian State
> Duma has eventually approved the much-disliked candidature
> proposed by President Boris Yeltsin. In Moldova, things will
> hardly go that far, and here there will be no such a standoff
> between the legislative and executive powers as in Russia.
> Thus, President Lucinschi will get a loyal government which is
> extremely important for the head of state, bearing in mind his
> quite limited constitutional authority. Loyalty to the President
> will definitely be shown also by the Parliament Chairman, who
> will not exchange his chief political capital -- the image of
> the pro-presidential Swallow Bloc -- for a friendship with the
> Popular Front, a friendship which may appear fatal for Dumitru
> Diakov at the next elections.
> We may forecast with sufficient confidence that the Moldovan
> Parliament will not have a stable majority, and its work will be
> largely built on short-living unions appearing for tackling this
> or that problem.
> Should circumstances develop in the worst way, the country may
> come to have early elections.
> The Communist Party is best prepared for such an outcome. So
> far, the MCP has not compromised itself with dubious bargaining
> over state posts, and will easily manage to repeat its success
> in the early elections, particularly if one takes into
> consideration the deep disappointment being now felt by citizens
> who voted for other parties, and especially those who voted for
> the centrist Bloc.
> Having dared a confrontation with PRAM deputies, the Popular
> Front is putting its political perspectives under a big question
> mark. In case the Alliance and DCM break up, Deputy Speaker
> Iurie Rosca [Popular Front leader] may be recalled from his post
> at any moment, and the 9-men Front faction will find itself in
> the opposition. And the Front's present-day political weight is
> difficult to measure: since 1994, the Front have not been
> running any elections as an independent force. At any rate, the
> Front cannot count on winning more votes than the Party of
> Democratic Forces.
> Most probably, the early parliamentary election will be held
> simultaneously with the presidential one, and the leading
> candidates at it will be President Petru Lucinschi and his
> supporters -- the powerful centrist movement.
> Though all this may look only as speculations, it is very
> probable that foundations for would-be alliances and splits will
> be laid this week at forming the new Moldovan Government. And
> the Cabinet itself cannot really be envied: it will have to
> begin doing economy at last, the economy which in recent several
> years was neglected by everybody here.
> * * *
> MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT HOLDING CONSULTATIONS WITH PARLIAMENTARY
> FACTIONS ABOUT NEW PRIME MINISTER
> Chisinau, May 5 (INFOTAG). Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi
> today continued consultations with parliamentary factions
> concerning a candidacy for the prime minister.
> According to our parliamentary sources, in the first half of the
> day the head of state proposed to the Democratic Convention his
> own candidate -- Ion Ciubuc.
> According to other unofficial data, yesterday the President was
> going to propose another man -- Ion Sturza of the Bloc for
> Democratic and Prosperous Moldova.
> On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Lucinschi met with the Communist Party
> faction, Party of Democratic Forces faction, and the Alliance
> for Democracy and Reforms.
> MCP faction leader Vladimir Voronin stated to your correspondent
> that, from the Communist Party's viewpoint, the candidacy of Ion
> Ciubuc is the most suitable of all currently discussed.
> In case the President really proposes Ion Ciubuc, the Communists
> are planning to ask for a one week long time-out to discuss the
> list of ministers for the new government.
> "If we back Ciubuc, we must have a clear vision why we do so. We
> will offer our conditions to him, and if he accepts them, we
> will be ready to vote for him", Voronin said.
> The Communist Party leader made it clear that the MCP faction
> will be supporting a candidate who "will be promoting the
> soonest-possible ruining of the monstrous, anti-popular,
> arithmetic coalition".
> * * *
> HIGH-RANKED IMF OFFICIAL TO VISIT MOLDOVA
> Chisinau, May 5 (INFOTAG). A high-ranked International Monetary
> Fund official is arriving to Chisinau Thursday to hold
> negotiations with the local leadership, IMF Resident
> Representative at Moldova Mr Mark Horton announced in his press
> release today.
> Director of the IMF European II Department Mr John Odling-Smee
> will be in Chisinau on May 7 through 9.
> He is expected to meet with President Petru Lucinschi,
> Parliament Chairman Dumitru Diakov, National Bank Governor
> Leonid Talmaci, member of the old and possible members of the
> new Moldovan Government.
> Mr Horton pointed out in his press release that the Moldova-IMF
> relationship is still determined by the three-year Extended Fund
> Facility approved by the IMF in May 1996. Its total worth is SDR
> 135 million (some $190 million).
> Within the EFF, the International Monetary Fund has allocated
> for Moldova three tranches of financial assistance worth $52.2
> million. The last tranche arrived last July.
> The IMF's total financial assistance volume has already reached
> $240 million.
> * * *
> WAR-RUINED DUBOSSARY BRIDGE LAUNCHED IN MOLDOVA
> Dubossary, May 5 (INFOTAG). Traffic along the Dubossary bridge
> across the Dniester river was resumed today.
> Blasted up in 1992 during the armed conflict in Transnistria,
> the bridge is an essential element of the south-western highway
> linking the Balkan region with Moldova, Ukraine and the rest of
> the former Soviet Union.
> During the past 6 years, international transport had to make an
> almost 100 km long detour, thus sustaining minimum $30 million
> losses to economic entities using the strategic highway. The
> repair works were fulfilled by a specialized bridge building
> company from Ukraine for the money allocated exclusively by the
> Moldovan Ministry of Transportation and Roads.
> As your correspondent was told at the Transnistrian presidential
> office, the official Tiraspol has drafted an agreement by which
> the two sides would undertake to never use the restored bridge
> for military purposes.
> The Transnistrian administration believes the document can be
> signed already in the very near future.
> * * *
> NBM CREDIT REFINANCING RATE DECLINES BY 1 PERCENT DOWN TO 16
> Chisinau, May 5 (INFOTAG). The refinancing rate of National
> Bank's credits has declined by 1 percent and thus returned to
> that of early January -- down to 16 percent p.a.
> The National Bank put up 25 million lei of credit at its auction
> yesterday, though banks' bids were for 37.17 million which they
> were ready to purchase at rates ranging between 15 and 24
> percent p.a.
> The 25 million was sold to 6 commercial banks for a one month
> period.
> This was the NBM's 7th credit auction in 1998, and the sales
> have thus reached 131 million lei. Since January, the interest
> rate was fluctuating between 16 and 21 percent, and was 17
> percent at the previous session. The credit maturities were one
> to two months.
> * * *
> SUN-TV CELEBRATING FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF ITS ABSORBING EUROCABLE
> TELEVISION
> Chisinau, May 5 (INFOTAG). The Sun-TV company sustains 130
> thousand lei of losses every month due to the barbaric ruining
> of cable networks by citizens, it was announced at a news
> conference today dedicated to the first anniversary of the
> Sun-TV/Eurocable joint activity.
> The vandalism served the main reason why Sun-TV had to raise its
> monthly charge from 10 to 15 lei as from May 1, Director General
> Alexander Sirbu explained at the conference. Another reason was
> that state-run and commercial structures had pushed up tariffs
> for their technical services rendered at transmitting new
> channels.
> Alongside with the Basic Packet of 12 channels, in 1998 Sun-TV
> began transmitting a Premium Packet of 24 channels, and is now
> preparing to extend its cable networks to cover all suburbs and
> near-by villages in a 50 km radius around Chisinau.
> At present, Sun-TV renders its services to approximately 60
> thousand homes. By the end of this year, it is planning to
> increase its clientele by 25 percent.
> * * *
> INCON GROUP'S NEW FRUIT JUICES
> Chisinau, May 5 (INFOTAG). Apple-cherry, apple-black currants,
> apple-grape, and apple-pear juices will be demonstrated by Incon
> Group at the international "Food & Drinks" exhibition opening in
> Chisinau this week.
> In the exhibition's frame, Incon Group will organize a seminar,
> "XXI Century Food", for local canned food enterprises which will
> be attended by experts from prominent Western companies -- Tetra
> Pak and Carnaud Metalbox.
> Incon Group, which unites several leading Moldovan canneries,
> was founded in 1992. Its annual trade turnover is about $44
> million at present.
> Incon exports juices and nectars, jams and confetures, jellies,
> pickled and marinated vegetables, tomato products, green peas, a
> range of salads, dry fruit, concentrated apple juice, etc. to
> Western Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands,
> Finland), the United States, Canada, and former Soviet
> republics.
> One of Incon's shareholders is the International Financial
> Corporation (IFC) which holds a 27 percent parcel.
> * * *
> TIRASPOL UNIVERSITY RESTORES PHYSICAL IMAGE OF SCYTHIAN KING OF
> 3RD CENTURY B.C.
> Tiraspol, May 5 (INFOTAG). The physical image of a Scythian
> king who lived in the 3rd century B.C. has been restored at the
> Tiraspol university.
> The main restoration work was done by Sergei Gorbenko, a
> Ukrainian medical doctor, historian and sculptor, who used the
> Russian academician Mikhail Gerasimov's methodology.
> The university administration maintains that the king's image
> restoration is worthy of the high attention of the world
> science. The Tiraspol university is one of the world's few
> universities having its own anthropological collection.
> The excavations, at which the king's skull was found, were
> conducted near the village of Glinoye in the Slobozia district.
> The Glinoye archaeological complex, which has been attracting
> scientists' attention for decades, is considered one of the most
> significant in south-eastern Europe. Anthropologists are saying
> the Scythian king died at the age of about 70, and is believed
> to remain in horse saddle till his last days, as can be judged
> from the weaponry and luxurious harness found in his grave.
> * * *
> MOLDOVA'S PRESS DIGEST OF MAY 5
> MOLDOVA SUVERANA governmental newspaper:
> * The text of President Lucinschi's radio address to the nation
> he made Monday dedicated to the approaching Victory Day of May
> 9.
> * Prime Minister Ion Ciubuc's Report made in parliament on the
> occasion of the government resignation.
> * Interview with Economic Court Chairman Petru Raileanu
> dedicated to the first anniversary of the Court establishment.
> NEZAVISSIMAYA MOLDOVA governmental newspaper:
> * Presidential Decree on celebrating the Victory Day and
> venerating the memory of World War-II victims.
> * Article written by the recently dismissed head of the
> Chisinau Police Commissariat, Boris Muravsky, in which the
> author posed a question about what is the dominating forces in
> Moldova at present -- the law of force or the force of law?
> FLUX daily:
> * Interview with ADF leader Mircea Snegur in which he states
> that the break-up of the Alliance will inevitably lead to early
> parliamentary elections.
> * Interview with MP Valentin Dolganiuk, nominated by the
> Democratic Convention candidate for the prime minister.
> * Flux news agency's commentary substantiating the reasons why
> Mircea Snegur and Petru Lucinschi should approve Valentin
> Dolganiuk's candidature.
> MOMENTUL newspaper:
> * Open letter of former independent candidate for parliament Mr
> Anatol Plugaru to President Petru Lucinschi in which Plugaru
> explains to the head of state why the new Parliament is unable
> to resolve the problems faced by Moldova.
> * * *
> SHORT NEWS
> * Parliament Permanent Bureau held a working sitting today.
> * Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolae Tabacaru yesterday handed
> to Council of Europe Secretary General Daniel Tarschys the
> declaration of Moldova's accession to the CE's Social
> Development Fund.
> * The Moldova Interbank Currency Exchange traded $200,000 at a
> MOL 472.43 to $100 rate today. The auction was attended by five
> banks.

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