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Human Rights Developments Defending Human Rights The Role of the International Community United Nations UNHCR reported that Romania had become a country of asylum for many refugees from around the world, and remained in the process of bringing its national refugee legislation into line with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, to which it acceded in 1991. Operation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Romania was to assume the year-long chairmanship of the OSCE in January 2001. In a report released in April on the situation of Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area, the high commissioner on national minorities emphasized the need for educational reform in Romania, particularly for ethnic minorities. Council of Europe In June 2000 a delegation of the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe's Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities visited Bucharest. The committee expected to publish its views early in 2001. European Union Formal negotiations for Romania's E.U. accession began in February. Romania proposed 2007 as the date of its accession. In its October 1999 progress report, the E.U. reaffirmed that Romania met the Copenhagen political criteria for membership, but cautioned that "this position will need to be re-examined if the authorities do not continue to give priority to dealing with the crisis in their child care institutions." The report also said that "much still remains to be done in rooting out corruption, improving the working of the courts and protecting individual liberties and the rights of the Roma. Priority should also be given to reform of the public administration." United States The U.S. continued to cultivate close ties with Romania, including through military assistance, to prepare the country for NATO membership. In May, Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu pledged to continue the strategic partnership between Romania and the U.S. Romania was to receive U.S. $14 million in assistance from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for development programs. |
Albania Armenia Azerbaijan Republic of Belarus Bosnia and Hercegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Georgia Greece Hungary Kazakhstan Kyrgyztan Macedonia Romania Russian Federation Slovakia Tajikistan Turkey Turkmenistan United Kingdom / Northern Ireland Uzbekistan Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
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