Nastase deems Scheele's letter as "peculiar"

PM Adrian Nastase deems as “peculiar” the letter he received from the head of the European Delegation in Romania Jonathan Scheele, about the credit granted to the Bucharest municipality by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Nastase will not personally answer to the EU ambassador but send a letter to the European Commission chairman Romano Prodi instead.
“I find Mr. Scheele’s letter rather peculiar. Mr. Scheele seems to have included me on his mailing list and sends me various letters that always end up in the press. I am preparing a reply for Chairman Prodi, in which I will let him know how I feel about this letter,” Adrian Nastase was quoted as saying by Radio Romania Actualitati (National Radio).
The head of the European Delegation in Romania, Jonathan Scheele, yesterday verified he had indeed sent the PM a letter about the EIB loan to the Bucharest municipality. “It is a private letter and I do not think discussing it publicly would be of any help,” Scheele said. However, Scheele specified he had sent this letter because any loan from EIB was pledged by the Government of Romania so that “the Government is involved.”
The letter in question expresses Jonathan Scheele’s concern about the everlasting impasse related to the EIB loan for the Bucharest municipality, caused by the dispute between Mayor Basescu and the majority of the General Council. The ambassador explains the current loan agreement cannot be changed unless the EIB Board makes a similar decision.
“My concern is even deeper considering the often mentioned idea of EIB being willing to agree to the reallocation of part of the loan (Basarab Passageway, Gara de Nord Parking) to other projects. This couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Scheele specified. He also points out in this letter that he does not plan to interfere in Romania’s internal affairs in any way, but warns the current situation is likely to make a serious negative impact on Romania’s credibility as a partner in international financing operations aimed at local authorities. “I hope you will feel capable of using your influence in solving this unfortunate issue as soon as possible. Romania’s ability to meet the economic accession criteria will continue to depend on its ability to raise international financing,” Scheele writes in his letter.
Copies of this letter were also sent to the Integration minister Hildegard Puwak, Finance minister Mihai Tanasescu, Industry and Resources minister Dan Ioan Popescu, the General Bucharest Mayor Traian Basescu, the EU Commissioner for enlargement Guenter Verheugen, the Regional Policy Commissioner Michel Barnier, to Rainer Saerbeck (EIB), to Hildegard Gacek (EBRD) and to the World Bank representative in Romania, Ziad Alahdad.