UN called into deal with International dispute between Chad and Romania

[TrailblazingScot]

Chad has asked the United Nations to intervene in the dispute with Romania as regarding the similarity of their flag with that of the new post-Communist flag of Romania.

I did hear on the radio from a Romanian politician that there were no prospects of a conflict but that Romania isn't backing down!

Read all about it:

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=428422004

Spot the National Flag of Romania from that of Chad...

Can't?


Ah, it is interesting that Moldova and Andorra are pretty unoriginal when it comes to designing flags too...

Where do you stand on this issue?

 

[The Yankee]

The leaders of each country should fight it out on Pay-Per-View.

I didn't even notice this before!

Maybe one of them should get conquered by the US so they can borrow our flag.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

The Article from the Scotsman:

Call to UN as Chad and Romania keep same flag flying

FOREIGN STAFF


TO THE untrained eye they appear identical - three vertical stripes of blue, yellow and red.

The lack of distinction between the flags of Romania and Chad has provoked a dispute between the two countries, with experts insisting one or the other must change its colours.

Ion Iliescu, the Romanian president, is refusing to consider such a drastic move, claiming the tricolour has been a part of his country’s heritage for generations.

The flags of Romania and Chad became nearly identical in 1989, when the Ceaucescu dictatorship fell and Romania dropped the communist insignia that decorated the centre of its standard.

In fact, while both flags have the blue, yellow and red stripes, experts say Chad’s blue is deeper than the Romanian blue.

All the same, Mr Iliescu insists that his country’s flag has a longer heritage than that of the African country, which attained independence in 1960.

His comments came after reports in the Romanian media that Chad was planning to ask the United Nations to look into the issue.

The Romanian president said that while a formula was needed to meet international requirements on distinctive standards, his country would not give up its flag. "The tricolour belongs to us. We will not give up the tricolour."

Romania’s foreign affairs ministry is reported to have said the country registered its flag in 1997, in accordance with the Paris convention for the protection of industrial property.

The convention is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency. The convention sets out a way of registering and advertising that protects state symbols, official signs and seals against their illegal use by another entity.

The ministry said the UN agency was satisfied Romania had fulfilled the requirements for registering the state symbol, flag and seal of the country.

It said it has no knowledge of any claim within the legal 12-month deadline against Romania’s registration and therefore it received the notification of the registration of the Romanian flag.

The ministry also said it had received no formal notification from Chad about any intention to notify the UN judicial office about the two countries’ flags and said it was investigating reports in Romanian media on the issue.

Local media reported Mr Iliescu as saying the three-colour flag belongs to Romania, which will not give it up.

It said that adding a coat of arms to the flag could solve the dispute, but that would entail modifying the country’s constitution.

Specialists in national heraldry from the Romanian Academy are looking into the issue.

The flags of the Principality of Andorra and Moldova share the same colours and pattern but with an added insignia in the centre.

Another webpage worth reading on this topic:

http://ezdragon.cortland.edu/log/ro/ro48/ro48.htm

Romanian Flag in Danger

by: Carmen & Ciprian


A diplomatic argument over the national colours of two countries belonging to different continents, two different backgrounds and religions: European Christian Romania and the African Islamic Republic of Chad. They argue over their national colours.
Present Flag Romania & Chad

After the endorsement, in 1989, of the Romanian flag without its traditional coat of arms, a diplomatic dispute started between Romania and the Republic of Chad on the matter of what is called in both countries, "the red, the blue and the yellow". The two flags are identical and the argument has been brought to the attention of the United Nations.

The Republic of Chad settled the appearance of its flag in 1959. At that time the Romanian flag included the communist coat of arms. The Becoming of a Flag The Republic of Chad gained its independence in 1959, choosing a red, blue and yellow flag, with the blue at the hoist.

The official site of the republic specifies that the flag is a combination between the blue-white-red that makes the Franch flag (ex-colonizer of Chad) and the green-yellow-red of the Pan- African Republic. The site mentions that "accidentally, the flag is the same as the Romanian one".

The people of Chad say that blue means the sky (hope, agriculture and the southern part of the country), yellow means the desert (the northern part of the country) and red means prosperity, unity and the decision of the citizens to always defend their country.

The three controversial colours appear on other flags also, that of the Moldovian Republic and that of the Principality of Andorra. However, they both have a coat of arms also displayed. Which is not the case, after 1989, with the Romanian flag.
Flag of the People's Republic of Romania

After the December anti-communist revolution, Romanians actually removed the coat of arms but the officials did not agree on having a flag with a hole in the middle, a fact that led to having a flag identical to the one of the Republic of Chad. When the United Nations were notified, the Romanians claimed that the Romanian flag used a different shade of yellow. The proof was hardly acceptable for Chad and during the last decade the dispute has amplified leading to the present risk that the UN may decide that Romanians have to give up their colours.

Almost two hundred years of "red, yellow and blue"

The three colours of the Romanian flag were first used in 1821 during a national revolution. The original flag is kept in the National History Museum of Bucharest. It was made in an old monastery and the coat of arms represented the Holy Trinity and two military saints.

The colours were next used by Romanian students that took part in the 1848 French Revolution. It was than a symbol of the union of three Romanian regions. During the years, the three colours were always part of the Romanian flag. The only thing that changed, in respect to the constitutional status of the country was the coat of arms.

The three colours are highly significant for Romanians. We have learned their meaning since childhood and we can not imagine any Romanian allowing them to be changed. These days, the two country authorities are working on solving this odd dispute.

Which country would ever accept to have its flag taken, its historical symbols removed? And if the United Nations will decide so, which country will have to change the flag, and which will dare to oppose a UN decision?



http://www.fotw.stm.it/flags/td.html

http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/ro.html

Sites on Romania and the Republic of Chad

http://www.cia.gov

http://www.sesrtcic.org/members

This should help you make a decision

 

[The Yankee]

Though when I voted "This means war!", I wonder how the militaries would tell each other apart....


By the way, I take it the bottom one is Chad's?

Countries and their tricolors...

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by The Yankee
Though when I voted "This means war!", I wonder how the militaries would tell each other apart....

Skin-colour presumably

 

[Marla_Singer]

Before the fall of Ceausescu, here was the Romanian flag :

Moldova was part of Romania before the russians annexed it. That's why it has the same colour than Romania. However, Chad has chosen freely their flag once Romania had that flag. It was then easy to distinguish one from the other. As Romania arrived the last (1989), and that they've bullshited Moderator Action: warned, censor bypass
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889 us about Iraq, I would support Chad's cause.

 

[The Yankee]

Originally posted by kittenOFchaos
Skin-colour presumably

So maybe Chad could employ some lighter skinned mercenaries to confuse the enemy. Could be pretty funny to watch on Comedy Central.

 

[Marla_Singer]

This is Indonesia :

This is Monaco :

This is Poland :

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by Marla_Singer
Before the fall of Ceausescu, here was the Romanian flag :

Moldova was part of Romania before the russians annexed it. That's why it has the same colour than Romania. However, Chad has chosen freely their flag once Romania had that flag. It was then easy to distinguish one from the other. As Romania arrived the last (1989), and that they've bullshited us about Iraq, I would support Chad's cause.

Chad is an ex-French colony and France in recent history defended Chad from Libya so it is to be expected that you'd be in favour of Chad.

Chad didn't register their flag however...see that article I quoted in the Scotsman:

Romania’s foreign affairs ministry is reported to have said the country registered its flag in 1997, in accordance with the Paris convention for the protection of industrial property.

The convention is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), a UN agency. The convention sets out a way of registering and advertising that protects state symbols, official signs and seals against their illegal use by another entity.

Doesn't this leave Chad in a weaker position and how do you think this dispute can be solved if neither side voluntarily backs down - do we have any International Lawyers?

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by The Yankee
So maybe Chad could employ some lighter skinned mercenaries to confuse the enemy. Could be pretty funny to watch on Comedy Central.

Isn't Romania now part of NATO so that if Chad attacked the whole of NATO including France would have to assist her

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

Maybe Turkey and Tunisia can do the same thing. There flags are similar.

 

[addiv]

I've look at both flags closely, and the colors in Chad's flag especially the blue, is deeper than in Romania's flag. So a change is not really needed. But if it has to be, Chad has the better cause, so Romania should change back to its pre-1989 flag (and become communist again ).

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by Marla_Singer
This is Indonesia :

This is Monaco :

This is Poland :

Ah, but the flag of Indonesia is longer, how could any confusion arise over that. I think these problems with flags need resolving and need resolving now as considering that flags represent countries it is daft so many are the same when the countries are so different

 

[Marla_Singer]

Originally posted by kittenOFchaos
Chad is an ex-French colony and France in recent history defended Chad from Libya so it is to be expected that you'd be in favour of Chad.

Hey, I'm not Chirac, I can say the bs I want without any official consideration.

Moreover, Romania has been traditionally an ally of France so what you say is not true.

Personally, I don't care. I think both countries should choose a nice picture to put on their flags like Mexico did to be different from Italy.

However, when I say picture, I don't say letter. I would like something more elaborated than Rwanda :

PS : I wasn't the only one to consider the Rwandese flag as silly since they decided to change it.

 

[The Yankee]

Originally posted by kittenOFchaos
Isn't Romania now part of NATO so that if Chad attacked the whole of NATO including France would have to assist her

Yes it is! Here, Chaddy, Chaddy, Chaddy.....

We can add to the list of French military vic....um....defeats! (Just kidding, Marla...don't shoot....)

 

[The Yankee]

Originally posted by Marla_Singer
This is Indonesia :

This is Monaco :

This is Poland :

We all know Poland is right anyway...besides, I think they can hold off the massive Indonesian-Monaco invasion.

 

[Double Barrel]

This kind of dispute is exactly what the U.N. is good for!

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

What did you just say? The UN? Good? Must be a typo.

 

[silver 2039]

Originally posted by Double Barrel
This kind of dispute is exactly what the U.N. is good for!

The UN is actually good for something!

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Wow, what lame flags I could come up with a better flag in 5 minutes with a stubby crayon and a cocktail napkin.