Muenster / Germany (RNN Correspondent) 20.03.1998

The Council of the City of Muenster will decide on Wednesday (25 March) about the unlimited " right to stay" for the Roma. The day before, this topic is on the agenda of the Foreigner Council (Auslaenderbeirat).

Due to the draft the Council pleads for a right to stay for the Roma refugees, as long as they must expect inhuman conditions in former Yugoslavia, and discrimination and persecution due to their nationality. All participants of a round of talks under town mayor Marion Tuns agreed to the draft. Representatives of both coalition partners, the Foreigner Council, and representatives of the Administration had come to this discussion. The draft of the resolution reminds of the particular situation of the Roma wh o were already persecuted during the period of the National Socialsm. "Rules of the foreigners rights must be applied very sensitively, but the Foreigners Law fulfills this only insufficiently".

The status of the residence of the Roma is determined only by the Federal Foreigners Law and is not a sole municipal decision. Therefore, the Ministers of the Federal States have been asked to make use of the possibility of integration, as long as the Rom a are exposed to danger in their home country and as long as no human conditions of life are given there (minimum of health standard, participation in public life, school education). The administration has been urged to exhaust all chances in favour of t he stay of the Roma families .