Chishinau discloses evidence

After the Romanian President Traian Basescu had accused Chishinau officials of proceeding to challenges through the secret services, which would not longer be tolerated, "Moldova Suverana", a pro-governmental daily in Chishinau, published yesterday fragments from what seems to be the Moldovan Interior ministry's report on the abuses committed in the release of visas for Romania.
The fragments describe the way travel agencies made use of the special regime for the Romanian visas, as well as the links between Alexandru Rus, Romania's consul to Chishinau, and other people involved in the visa affair. The secret services in the Moldovan Republic recorded several phone calls proving the connections between the consul and the other persons in the network. (...)
Romanian government wants rapid inquiry
The Romanian PM Calin-Popescu Tariceanu asked foreign minister Adrian Cioroianu yesterday to hurry up with the inquiry on the Romanian visa release in Chishinau. He also demanded the Romanian justice minister Tudor Chiuariu to complete the citizenship law.
The PM told the foreign minister: "Please hurry up with this inquiry and tell us the conclusions as soon as possible. If the accusations confirm true, you will have to decide on measures against those who broke the law".
Ala Meleca, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry in the Moldovan Ministry, told the Mediafax that the ministry "had not plotted challenges" in the inquiry on the visa fraud, claiming the criminal cases were grounded on well handled evidence and were in keeping with the legislation in force. She also mentioned the Interior Ministry received no reply to an official letter sent to the Romanian Consulate in Chishinau, asking for collaboration in the investigations concerning fraud on the Romanian visas for Moldovan citizens.
Tarlev talked to Tariceanu
Moldovan PM Vasile Tarlev mentioned in an interview to the BBC: "I don't want to make statements or respond to the statements of the neighbor country's President. (...) But I talked to PM Tariceanu about this Romanian consulate too, about the visa release. The PM told me he demanded the Romanian institutions, the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make the respective investigations and punish the people proved involved in breaks". It is to be noticed that the Moldovan official denied the existence of a diplomacy conflict.

George Damian
Ziua Sambata 25 August 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english