Iraq crisis debated at Cotroceni

Wednesday, the same day when the Iraqi Ambassador in Bucharest Saad H. Medjic alleged he had been asked by the secret services to work as a spy for Romania, this way bringing tension in the Romanian-Iraqi diplomatic relations, President Ion Iliescu met with the heads of the special services at the Cotroceni Palace.
The head of state yesterday said expelling the Iraqi diplomats from Bucharest was no special issue, as it is a common practice of the international diplomacy and was therefore not given too much time for discussion. Ion Iliescu said there were about 3,000 Iraqis in Romania at the moment and only 9 of them had been expelled, Mediafax reported.
Although the President declined comment on the talks in Cotroceni, it seems the outbreak of a war in Iraq was discussed. A special action plan in case of war had been drafted during the last meeting of the Supreme Defence Council (CSAT). The plan comprises measures to protect the state institutions and the dignitaries, as well as the strategic points, such as airports and infrastructure. Each of the secret and special services – SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service), SIE (Foreign Intelligence Service), STS (Special Telecommunications Service), SPP (Guard and Protection Service) has its own action plan and does not require prior endorsement from CSAT to turn it into effect in case of a war.
The leaders of the Foreign Policy and European Integration committees admit that embracing a pro-US attitude towards the Iraqi issue could result in losing some of the support of certain European political leaders for Romania and that Brussels is pressuring Bucharest to reconsider its position when it comes to Iraq. They say this does not threaten Romania’s EU accession, though.
The chairman of the European Integration parliamentary committee, PSD (Social Democrat Party) Senator Liviu Maior says debating Romania’s EU accession due to its support for the US is out of the question, yet admits that “certain political groups in Brussels” are pressuring Bucharest to reconsider. If, in the worst case scenario, Romania’s position was debated, then EU should also reconsider its policy towards the 10 states to join the EU in 2004, as they are also pro American, which it would not. Moreover, as long as the EU itself does not see all its members agree on a joint position in this case, the applicant states cannot be demanded to embrace the position of one of the current EU members, Maior explains.
“If feuds inside the EU worsen because of differences over foreign affairs issues, then I do not think the EU will be around for much longer,” Maior says. Still, he added, it was in the best interest of all the EU members to stick together, “and turn the EU into world’s biggest economy in the 2020s. This cannot be done without a united market wider than the current one, which should also include Romania and Bulgaria,” Maior said.
mirela.luca@zf.ro