Romania: Government To Restore Exiled Monarch's Citizenship

Bucharest, 12 February 1997 (RFE/RL) -- The Romanian government said today it will restore the citizenship of exiled King Michael, which was stripped by the Communists.

A statement from Prime Minister Victor Ciorbea's office said Ciorbea would soon take measures to redress what it said was the "injustice" done to Michael in revoking his citizenship.

The statement came shortly after 21 intellectuals wrote a letter to Ciorbea asking him to reverse the decision to confiscate the king's citizenship in 1948 uder Communist leader Petru Groza.

Michael, now 74, was foced to abdicate in 1947, when the Communists came to power, and currently lives in Switzerland. Since Communism was toppled in a bloody revolt in 1989, Michael has often expressed a desire to return to his homeland.