U.S. Stopping Non-Humanitarian Aid in Wake of Attacks on Romania Dissidents

The Bush Administration said today it will withhold non-humanitarian economic aid from Romania because of government actions against dissidents.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the department was also sending U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alan Green Jr. to Bucharest to “convey to the Romanian leadership the seriousness of our concern.” Green has been in Washington for consultations.

Boucher said $80 million in food aid and $1 million in medical aid that had already been announced will not be affected. But non-humanitarian aid that was under consideration will be held up “until the democratic process has been restored.”

President-elect Ion Iliescu summoned miners to the Romanian capital Thursday to deal with what he called “fascist” forces demonstrating against his government. The miners beat pedestrians and journalists and raided the offices of opposition parties. Iliescu ordered the miners to go home today, but many remained in Bucharest and clubbed those they considered opponents of the government.

“We call upon President Iliescu and his government,” Boucher said, “to halt immediately any further action against Romania’s fledgling democratic process.

“Specifically, he should clear all worker vigilantes from the streets and publicly pledge that they will not be encouraged or allowed to re-enter. He should provide public guarantees of safety for leaders and members of all political parties and those who exercise their legitimate right of dissent and should reopen independent newspapers and magazines that were attacked on Thursday.

“We urge President Iliescu and his government to engage opposition parties and other groups in dialogue to repair the damage to Romanian democracy caused by events of the past few days.”

These events, he said, “strike at the very heart of Romanian democracy.”

Iliescu was to have been sworn in today at a meeting of both houses of Parliament in Bucharest, but his inauguration was postponed.

Iliescu’s government moved to distance itself from the miners’ rampage today.

Prime Minister Petre Roman told a news conference that the miners had only been asked to peacefully occupy University Square and that the government deplored all subsequent violence.

Wednesday’s police crackdown on a 53-day protest in the central square set off the worst violence since the December pro-democracy revolution that toppled Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

The demonstrators say the new freely elected government, led by Iliescu and his National Salvation Front, is dominated by former Communists whom they accuse of continuing Ceausescu’s repressive policies.

After the breakup of the demonstration at the square, angry protesters re-grouped and attacked government buildings. Government forces fired on them, killing at least five people and injuring more than 350.

The miners poured into town on Thursday at Iliescu’s call for help in quelling what he called a “facist” revolt.