Yesterday most PSD (the Social - Democrat Party) senators, together with senators representing UDMR (The Democrat Union of Hungarians in Romania) and PRM ("Great Romania" Party) rejected the emergency adoption of the law project on returning King Mihai his former properties. As senators are rather preoccupied with wandering about the country for election propaganda, it is sure that the Royal Family is to get the money as well as the assets after autumn elections. The negative vote set by PSD top senators Nicolae Vacaroiu, Adrian Paunescu and Antonie Iorgovan makes us ask some questions. As President of the Senate and Vise President of PSD, Vacaroiu voted while fully - informed, which shows that Adrian Nastase knew about the decision his senators were about to make. The Senate decision also postpones the damages the Executive promised to pay to the Royal Family. This delay is not accident at all, as the Executive treasury has started to run out of resources once with paying for various PSD election promises. Under the circumstances, the 30 million Euro - the Executive decided this was to be paid to King Mihai - would exhaust even more the budget of Nastase Cabinet. It is interesting that, if yesterday all PSD senators had agreed to the emergency procedure, the project would have been rapidly debated by the Senate and the King would have been paid the damages promised by the Executive. But there is one more likelihood: as PSD senators are angry because they are no longer on the future Parliament lists, they might no longer obey orders from the center and this way play against the will of their leader. And this would not be the first time that PSD MPs have made a decision contrary to the policy and interests of the ruling party. The most recent example of it is the law on MP annuity, when PSD senators and deputies voted for it at first, although Nastase had boasted that party members would not accept such material benefice. The first to state opposition to the hasty law adoption was UDMR member Gyorgy Frunda. "This is about a certain sum of 30 million Euro", said Frunda. He stated he was "for positive discrimination" and highlighted it seems to him it should be applied to weak people who "can't pay their heat, electricity or gas bills". Frunda "the European" asked a rhetorical question from the senate desk. He asked senators what they would choose: for those who had money deposits at CEC (The Romanian savings Bank) before 1989, which they intended to use for buying Dacia cars or for giving Kink Mihai his properties back. Executive bait In a recently adopted law project, the Executive offered to pay King Mihai damages of 30 million Euro in exchange for the assets that used to belong to him. The Peles Castle is one of these properties, as well as the devices it includes. The latter are under the administration of the Ministry of Culture and of the Autonomous Center for State property Administration. The Executive also decided to give back to the former king the "Knights' House" property. It also set that king Mihai, Princess Margareta and Prince Radu were allowed to use Elisabeta Palace as long as they lived. Kink Mihai I is also allowed to use the Castles of Peles, Pelisor and Foisor - that are state heritage now - for special events. Once notifications and trials are over, procedures have it that any mutual obligations between the Romanian State and King Mihai I cease to exist. The King agreed After the Executive had reached decision, King Mihai expressed agreement to the "present version" of the law project. "His Majesty the King has frequently mentioned in his speeches and in meetings with various political and civil society leaders that respect for private property is not only an economy matter, but also the basis of any democratic society (...) Therefore the King is glad that the Romanian political class agrees to this point of view now. Given the context, the King wants to clarify important matters referring to the illegal and abusive confiscation of his private property during the Communist dictatorship", is mentioned in the press release issued by the Press Department of the Elisabeta Palace. The document also specified that King Mihai "gave directions to his representatives" to negotiate with the Executive on matters of Royal family properties, as the objective was "to reach complete consensus that would express the right to private property and correct the act of moral injustice committed by the Communist dictatorship". Mihai Tanasescu, Minister of Public Finance, claimed that the sources that would pay for the money to be given King Mihai I would be set after consulting the International Monetary Fund. One of the funds under consideration is privatization income. Another version stipulated in the project adopted by the Executive is that the 30 million Euro should be provided from the state budget via the Public Finance Ministry budget. Iliescu is positive President Ion Iliescu had a positive reaction to the Executive decision. He considered that property return and damages pay to King Mihai I were "normal". The state president specified there had been much negotiating between the Royal Family and the Romanian state and that this "agreement" had been reached in the end. Iliescu also mentioned that, according to the present legislation, the return of nationalized assets was proceeded to where possible. If not, to pay for damages was the usual procedure.

Roxana ANDRONIC