Coldea effect

-- President Basescu has availed himself of the notes written by the Maior's first deputy to clear SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service) of the old guard. The first to disappear is General-lieutenant Ionel Marin
The deputy of the SRI director, also coordinator of anti-terrorism and international cooperation fields, was put in reserve yesterday, by the means of an Order in Council. He was put in reserve on the grounds of Article 85, paragraph 1 (e) of Law no 80/1995, which is about the discharge due to reorganization. Marin asked to be pensioned, and Basescu restructured the position of deputy director of SRI. The three stars general, accused of having repressed the revolutionaries in December 1989, leaves SRI with almost 100,000 RON in his pocket, as an old age allowance. During the notes scandal, Marin started war against Maior whom he denounced to the SRI Committee. General Dumitru Ion Zamfir, the last Mohican of the old guard of the Securitate (Communist Secret Service), another one of Maior's deputies, is on the purging list as well. The head of the Counterespionage, General Ionel Bidireci, and the head of the Department for Preventing and Combating Terrorist Activities, General Ion Stefanut shall accompany Zamfir outside the SRI gate. Director George Maior announced a decrease in the leading positions in SRI at the 28 June CSAT (Supreme Council of National Defense) meeting. Colonel Coldea, the source of the whole scandal, was reinstalled in the position of prim-deputy of the SRI director. (...)

Ziua
Ziua Sambata 21 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Politics shit

Animated GIFs

SCAMP ? WHEN SHALL WE HEAR "DRIP THAT YOU ARE, DRIP" ?

Following the model of the intellectuals he surrounded himself with, Traian Basescu started to crib from. No, not from Heidegger or from Corbin, but from Gigi Becali, whom he has stolen the well known addressing formula: SCAMP.
The way we proceeded in the case of the "oligarchs", we are trying now to show the president the real meaning of the words he uses in public discourses. The last entry into Traian Basescu's basic word stock is SCAMP. This way, the president plagiarizes Gigi Becali, not because the latter would have invented the word, but because Steaua's owner turned it long ago into a real personal brand. When one says SCAMP, he says Gigi Becali ! In this case, Traian Basescu finds himself into a misfortunate situation, as Becali (who, in his turn, borrowed it from his cousin, Giovanni) ennobled the word SCAMP, giving it a humorous connotation, even a somehow likeable one, a king of "you, little jack..."
It's good to know that, rigorously, SCAMP is defined as being the "person with no scruples, no character, light-minded; a rascal" (DEX- Romanian Explanatory Dictionary, 1996 edition, under the supervision of the Romanian Academy, p. 441), and has an unknown etymology ! It is one of the rare words that have absolutely no derivative, operating just for it and it may have come from a simple echo-word. We come with these learned explanations because, especially in the case of plagiarism, words are borrowed without their true meanings, what may create a dangerous confusion. For instance, one could address the Queen of the United Kingdom by saying: "You are welcome, your SCAMP !", and he would think he only being quaint.
In the interview where he experienced SCAMP as an ontological operator of the political discourse, Traian Basescu confirmed his beginning to be bothered by the intellectual elite. How else could we take the launching of SCAMP on the presidential orbit for, only few days after Liiceanu had condemned him, at GDS (Group for Social Dialogue), for that "stinky gypsy" ? After Basescu had had a tedious time with Plesu at Cotroceni Palace, it seems that it's Liiceanu's turn now, and he can see for himself the man is to deinotaton, without being forced to plagiarize from Heidegger ! Beyond joke, easiness with which president Traian Basescu used SCAMP to speak about some MPs democratically elected by the people shows that either it was a blunder, and in that situation he should have come quickly with a public excuse, or an experiment in view of the future electoral campaigns and that's not good at all. Becali's SCAMP is somehow privileged, being now used in humorous programs satirizing the author, in his quality of an owner of a football team, while Basescu's SCAMP wears a royal crown and will generate effects that even Tatulici or Turcescu won't be able to prevent in a moralizing broadcast. Anyway, the two are on top of the people's options for the next presidential election. But I'm afraid that a battle between the SCAMPS of the two candidates will cut off our envy for laughing for a long time from now on and, the way thing go, I'd rather believe the Steaua owner give up his brand than Basescu, as the intellectuals around him may speak highly of a positive change of Becali from few years ago, while those around the president can only witness the fact that they had taught him how to plagiarize the classic ones !
However, after the gentle presidential journalist Traian Ungureanu wrote that he licked democracy, it won't be a big deal in hearing Traian Basescu telling the PM on the TV: "drip that you are, drip" !

Ion Spanu
Ziua Miercuri 18 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

"CIA prisons" inquiry, relaunched

-- I think this the most concise and correct definition of what happened yesterday in the European Parliament, during the exchange of views the MEPs had with Dick Marty, the special observer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
In the presidium, next to Marty was Claudio Fava, chairman of the European Parliament ad-hoc committee on the CIA prisons matter, and the two also appeared together at the press conference that followed. First of all they congratulated one another for the conclusions they had reached, "a report of synergies that has made us reach, by different ways, to equivalent outcomes", as Marty said. Fava replied, on behalf of the European Parliament, that this institution "supported almost in its entirety the conclusions of the excellent report Dick Marty had drawn up".
Both accused that, in the course of the investigation activity, they had to face a real silence wall the European governments had built up on the matter of the CIA prisons and of the illegal extradition of persons charged with terrorist activities; they announced as well that there were European countries that haven't answered so far the questionnaire they had been officially addressed by the two committees. After that, Marty resumed the grand themes of the two reports already released, but insisted on the way the information and evidence that founded the conclusion were collected. He did it in order to answer the harsh criticism that had accused just the fact that almost all that had existed under the label of evidence were but either compilation from the international press, or evocation of clues offered by unknown informers.
Marty explained that the principle of the work done with the help of informers under cover had been accepted by vote in the Human Rights Commission of the PACE, and that hearings, statements of high rank officials directly involved in the American secret programme were possible only this way. Marty added that had informed on that commissioner Franco Frattini, first verbally and then in a written way. He reminded that he also asked Frattini to send the information to all the ministers of Justice of the European countries. Some of the MEPs had contested the procedure, saying that in the and, there would inevitable be just a list of presumptive guilty persons. However Marty kept on having his own position arguing that it was the only realist method to come into the possession of the high rank personalities testimonies. Thus, the investigation might have considerably accelerated its pace after President George W. Bush had publicly admitted that such CIA prisons had existed, though he hadn't specified their location. Marty also said that he was in contact with persons from the CIA leadership, "which had had serious conflicts with the military system Rumsfeld had run at the time", thus indicating one of the possible sources of confidential information he had access to.
Marty continued his attack on the NATO theme, institution accused that, after the 9/11 attack and invoking Article 5 of the North Atlantic Organization Treaty, had drawn up a framework document defining the terms of a collaboration with the CIA, a text based on which bilateral agreements would have been signed by the Americans and some of the European states. Answering to another question, Marty added that, even though NATO made public a part of the 8 points agreement, it was crystal clear that there was another part as well, an ultra-confidential one, describing in detail the operational aspects. Among these aspects, he made a precise reference to the fact that all the signatory governments had agreed upon the US party principle, i.e. a complete immunity granted to their own agents and thus creating a kind of a "judicial apartheid". According to Marty, this would be perfectly coherent with the Americans' action after September 11, when they had sent to all their partners that the anti-terrorist war needed a complete transgression of the existing judicial systems and their replacement by exceptional measures.
As a scenario, everything can be claimed as in a thriller. However, what about the evidence ? As they are still in an area of circumstantial or of presumptive, both Marty and Fava said in one voice that, if that is how things are, then, who is to blame ? It's the European institutional state, they say, as it practically confers no power of investigation to the European Parliament bodies. That is why, Marty goes on, point 19 of the resolution adopted in Strasbourg expressly provides the creation of a true inquiry system, efficacious from the operational standpoint at European level, able to benefit of extended powers in the course of its investigations, to ask for documents, etc. Moreover, Fava accused in unusually harsh terms the lack of political will and of action the European Commission and the Council of Ministers had shown. (...) Even though both Marty and Fava tried to say that the mentioning of Romania and Poland did not turn them into targets, it was obvious that the MPs of the two countries would react, especially that among the personalities Marty quoted there was a Pole who was also vice-president of the EP and a Romanian who was vice-president of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Unfortunately, Ioan Mircea Pascu's justified protest and coherently argued had no effect, as the explanations received were vague and unconvincingly, the same as the retorts Toberta Anastase and Adina Valean had, during the interpellations.
Marty added: "I bet that no one of those mentioned in my report would dare to come up here, in front of you, and say officially that s/he knew nothing of the CIA prisons and the illegal extradition. That is why Ioan Mircea Pascu's gesture at the end of the press conference seemed quite unusual: he came forward with a handwritten letter that he tried to hand to those in the presidium. They didn't want to take it, and the gesture rouse the protest of Lorenzo Consoli, president of the International Association of the Press Correspondents in Brussels. Despite the confusion that was created, he said that the rules of the press conferences were being violated ... Except that many of his colleagues took the episode as an extra proof in favour of the Romanian MPs statements. Pascu complained that, in spite of his repeated demands, Marty didn't approve his direct hearing before the Committee.
What will happen from now on ? It is sure that the second Fava Report will be finalized in September and a decision will be made concerning the formula to go on further. The first suggestion is to change the format, that of an ad-hoc committee, in favour the already set up committees. This would suppose, from the very beginning, the extension of the problem and the involving of at least two committees, the Foreign Affairs one and the one for Justice, Home Affairs and Civil Liberties. That is why, in exclusivity for ZIUA, Jean-Marie Cavada, president of the Committee on Justice, Civil Liberties and Home Affairs, and also the one who chaired the yesterday meeting in Brussels said that, "for the time being, it was not about accusing states of having participated, in a way we knew or we didn't know, in the actions perpetrated by the American Administration. (...) Our problem, as Europeans, is to establish a level of truth from the member states that had signed a number of treaties involving, first of all, the observance of human rights. Subsequently, it's over this matter that a true debate must take place in which truth should be brought to light and explained, and the states that harboured such secret actions are able to remain into the EU. We are not prosecutors, we just have to establish a level of truth. Romania is better placed than anyone in the EU to know that long liver lies give birth to suffering and, I would say, a regression of the historical truth that doesn't do good to anyone.(...)" Ioan Mircea Pascu, also in exclusivity for ZIUA, said that, in his opinion, "even this discussion was organized so that the game may go on. There are many people who wish to accuse the United States, the US allies, and this is the best pretext. I believe this was obvious today. (...)"

Cristian Unteanu, Brussels
Ziua Miercuri 18 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Fight against corruption, repeatable masquerade

-- It is time the judicial masquerade every government opened against political adversaries formerly in power stopped. Who is guilty must be sentenced. Who is innocent, but charged, must get official apologizes and moral damages.
When the PDSR (Democrat Social Party in Romania) ruled, Viorel Hrebenciuc was thought to be "the measurement of corruption". After the Romanian Democrat Convention had taken over, Hrebenciuc paid some visits to the Prosecutor's Office, but he wasn't charged. Razvan Temesan spent some years in prison for having committed fraud against the Bancorex. It was a black hole of $ 2,5 billion, left by the Vacaroiu Cabinet and filled by the Ciorbea Cabinet with funds from the budget, therefore from citizens. A sacrifice that cost the rightwing rulers a lot. The PNTCD (National Christian Democrat Party) no longer made it to the Parliament. The Romanian Democratic Convention ruling at the time could have raised pensions with the money they used to rescue the financial-banking system, to save Romania from collapse.
When the Romanian Democratic Convention was in power, the Hrebenciuc of the right, depicted by the PDSR as public enemy number 1, was Christian-Democrat Radu Sarbu, the last president of the State Property Fund. The tandem made up of the PDSR and Greater Romania Party demonized the latter institution that, when getting power, the PDSR had to change its name. It became the PSD (Social-Democrat Party) and Radu Sarbu was for a few years the laughing stock of a criminal scenario (see the minutes of the PSD meeting when they asked that he be fixed) on the privatization of the Bucharest Hotel. The case was returned to the Prosecutor's Office in the end. The man is also accused in the Fleet case, together with more 79 persons. They have been kept in standby and described in dark colors for three years now, because general prosecutor Daniel Morar, the man who speaks on the phone with the President of Romania, said Basescu had immunity and might not be charged. Therefore this may not be !
When the PSD ruled, the most corrupted of all the corrupted was PM Adrian Nastase. After the "Truth and Justice" Alliance took over, the ex PM got to pay visits to investigators for a ridiculous case: his house windows. And one more case: the inheritance from aunt Tamara, a few hundred thousand dollars. It was huge money, as compared to the standards of life of most Romanians. But the money was embarrassing as compared to the great fortunes. If Justice is to search the ex PM's properties, authorities should search the real ones instead of the information provided by criminals not wishing to go to prison. They are farces played for the sake of the image.
Now when Traian Basescu, the fighter against corruption, is reigning, apart from the ex presidential opponent Adrian Nastase, there were and have been incriminated other personal adversaries of his, from the Democrat Union of Magyars in Romania and the Conservative Party, who didn't stand by him in his games. Marko Bela is charged, because he can't justify some money he got from authorship rights, about as much as the one month salary of a Presidency adviser. Ex minister Zsolt Nagy and Codrut Seres are charged for reasons on which prosecutors haven't agreed yet. Sorin Rosca Stanescu, owner of a press group, is also charged, because he is a friend of the man the President takes for his main enemy: Dinu Patriciu. The latter is claimed to be a capitalist (in Communist language, it means profiteer).
In brief, the fight against corruption inherited from minister Monica Macovei: house windows, allegations and authorship rights. And high treason by the Hungarians. This is an accusation later on taken back. This is real Justice ! And the fight against corruption is a piece of work too !
Minister Tudor Chiuariu can and must change the state of things into a just state of things. I will develop upon it as soon as possible.

Roxana Iordache
Ziua Marti 17 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Pell mell seizes Interior Ministry

-- Prosecutor Santion, a personal adviser of the Romanian interior minister Cristian David, denounced four officials in the Ministry who had committed abuse at work. General Virgil Ardelean, known as 'The Fox', tops the list.
According to the complaint, Virgil Ardelean, Constantin Darna (deputy chief of the General Department for Information and Interior Protection), Cristian Baci (chief of the Juridical Department in the Interior Ministry) and chief commissioner Valeriu Dinca (formerly a head of the Protection Department) obstructed the making of the National Center for Integrity Volunteering (the CNI).
The latter institution enjoys EU appreciation and British and Dutch financial support and it is meant to see that the fight against corruption is fought in the Interior Ministry.
Minister David's personal adviser demanded investigations should also reach Irinel Paun, chief of the DGA (National Anti-Corruption Department).
The war between Santion and Paun burst out officially two months ago, when the DGA chief denounced the minister's adviser for abuse at work too. Santion claims the war against himself "is a technical stage of obedience to an order to the new DGA officials from some very important people in the Interior Ministry and not only, looking for allies to cope with crimes committed under the auspices of the Interior Ministry. (...)

S.A. & D.D.
Ziua Marti 17 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

I'm the boss....

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The scum in Cotroceni Palace and the fear of lustration

Of course President Basescu won't believe that I am now bored with writing about his tricks. He said we would have had nothing to write about, had he not been a President! A President-player. He is a bragger as haughty as a peacock and he makes a show of himself. He would do anything to arrest people's attention so that people would think it is him who does and undoes things. He thinks he is the player of all players, but he is just a toy president of the service at the end of the leash. Does anybody really think that one could head the agency in Anvers and not be an agent, an under cover one, like so many diplomacy members were, of the Securitate (Communist Secret Service in Romania)? As for those who may say the Romanian Secret Service is not the Special Security Department and the Foreign Intelligence Service is not the Foreign Intelligence Department, I am reminding them about the demonstrations arranged by the Front for National Salvation in November 1990 in Bucharest, when Dan Iosif was crying out that the Front for National Salvation was not the Romanian Communist Party! In other words, an under cover officer of the Securitate is not an under cover officer of the Romanian Secret Service. He is one used in games played by the 'intelligence', which some intellectuals take for authentic, when they are not participating in tricks.
The unmasking of the (anti) national impostor called Traian Basescu, accompanied by the Democrat Party, is a must. It is a party of the presidential assemble. When Basescu is out of Romania's public stage, we will be able to write about truly important things. But for the time being, we have to cope with the plays of the presidential diversion, either implicitly or explicitly. It means we have to take him into account. Some have to praise him, some to criticize him. Some have to validate his impostorship by claiming it is providential stance. The other have to prove this impostorship.
The target of such impostorship is to dismember the right completely (it started with the National Christian-Democrat Party and it has now reached the National Liberal Party) in order to replace it with a made up left group, the Democrat Party, originating from the Front for National Salvation. It is also aimed at taking over the main topics of the right and compromising them. Basescu and the Democrats sabotaged them successfully when the Romanian Democratic Convention was in power. The campaign against corruption, the return of stolen properties, the condemnation of communism as murderous regime and lustration - all these have been systematically opposed by the Democrats, Traian Basescu the first of them. And the National Christian-Democrat Party got to an end because of surrendering and committing fratricide and also because, when President, Emil Constantinescu was not firm, like Calin Popescu Tariceanu is now.
At stake is not only the rescue and the victory of a political party that made Romania modern, the National Liberal Party. At stake is not only to make the authentic right and left clear. At stake is the very normalization of social, political and daily life in Romania.
President Traian Basescu is obstructing the process of making Euro-Atlantic Romania normal. He was panic stricken when he saw the Liberals were taking the whipped cream of the cake. Liberals' decision to raise pension took him by surprise and the Democrats got into the embarrassing situation of voting for the law, because they were afraid of the retired population, and then they got to criticize it, because they were afraid of President Basescu. He wouldn't agree to the pension raise because he wants enmity. He has shrewdly invoked the uninominal vote against parties and parliamentary democracy. He has publicly mentioned "the scum in parties", overtly insulting them so that he can play the victim of press critique afterwards. Did the press ignore him, Basescu would fall like a dry leaf. The secret services would learn that Romanian society has reached maturity and they would act accordingly. They wouldn't be playing God via the so-called presidents-player. But we are unable of embargo. We are waiting for the lustration law, which, just like usually, Basescu has invoked for bluff. But he is afraid of it, like the devil is afraid of incense. This is why he is doing his best so that it would be forgotten.

Roxana Iordache
Ziua Luni 16 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Plotter Theodor Stolojan

-- Theodor Stolojan, now a president of the PLD (Liberal-Democrat Party), is trying hard to hide the activity he had before 1989. In today's newspaper you can read about his true face. Theodor Stolojan, now a president of the PLD (Liberal-Democrat Party), is trying hard to hide the activity he had before 1989. In today's newspaper you can read about his true face.
Theodor Stolojan was a deputy chief of the currency operations department in the Ministry of Finance until 1986. From this year until 1989 he was a general chief of the institution, which was directly subordinate to dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and also a source coordinating his currency.
According to his attributions, Stolojan was to approve or disapprove of all operations performed: the special currency operations in a bank account belonging to the Securitate (Communist Secret Service in Romania), and currency operations of the Communist Party. It is to be mentioned that in late 1989 in the latter bank account there were $ 139 million.
After the 1989 Revolution Stolojan was involved in the redirecting of the money still to be found there: $ 19 million, after Romania had paid its foreign debt. Still the PLD president's involvement in it is kept secret.
Coordinated by colonels
Before 1986, Stolojan collaborated with the AVS department in the Foreign Information Office. He was employed as "expert adviser" and coordinated by reserve colonels Andronic and Anghelache. In the 70s he was also present in the list of the Institute for World Economics, an under cover institute of the UM 0920. His double membership became visible years later too. After he left the World Bank, after having been a prime minister of Romania, there was comment on his involvement, in exchange for money, in sending confidential information to British company Solomon Brother.
"Medicine provider"
After having been dismissed from the currency operations department together with deputy minister Vasile Iuga, he became a general inspector in the State Income Department, headed by Nicolae Sandulescu. When dismissed, Stolojan had a nervous breakdown and spent some time in the Mental Hospital in Predeal, Romania. His health troubles are well known. Together with the fact that he could be blackmailed because of his communist past, they made him 'renounce' his candidacy in the presidential elections in 2004 and allow Traian Basescu go for it instead.
There are persons who worked together with him in the ministry who claim he used to ask for money in order to facilitate currency exchange operations that would be justified, in agreement with the respective persons, as "medicine providing". (...)
Traffic of influence
Theodor Stolojan has been a user of traffic of influence for years. Apart from famous cases such as ALRO Slatina and RAFO, a few years ago Stolojan persuaded Viorel Catarama, Crin Antonescu and Calin Popescu Tariceanu into supporting Roma-origin Anghel Sandu, a mafia man, to buy a gas station in Dolj at an advantageous price. Later on Anghel Sandu fueled substantial funds to the National Liberal Party in 2000, meant for the electoral campaign. Had Stolojan been elected a President of Romania, he would have got protection for the illicit business he was in.
Controversial businessman Petre Paul Tardea is another character in ties with Stolojan. The businessman paid Democrat officials (1-3 billion ROL) for an eligible place on the electoral lists of the Liberal-Democrat alliance. Friends of Tardea say he gave enough money to both Valeriu Stoica and Theodor Stolojan, at that time a president of the National Liberal Party, in order to become a MP and represent the district of Gorj. (...)

Mihnea Talau
Ziua Luni 16 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Promulgate or resign

The leaders of Romanian Liberals have asked the head of state to promulgate the pension raise law or resign. Varujan Vosganian, a Romanian minister of economy, has overtly demanded the Romanian President Traian Basescu to quit unless he agrees to the pension raise, decided by the Cabinet in power. The minister argued yesterday that the budget was able to cover for this measure, claiming that any opposite opinion, the President's included, was ungrounded. He commented: "It is clear to me that Mr. President is angry that the pension raise idea isn't his. The budget law for 2008 will show if this decision is possible or not. If the Parliament passes it, but the President doesn't promulgate it, I think he should resign. Unless the Parliament passes it, it is us who should quit." According to the minister, if the system is able to fuel raised pension in 2008, it would manage to do the same afterwards, because of a reliable economy growth, as expected.
Liberal Teodor Atanasiu announced his party wanted extraordinary session on it to be held and the Social-Democrats joined the initiative. Social-Democrats Viorel Hrebenciuc and Ioan Stan have recently threatened the President that, unless he promulgated the pension raise law, they would open procedures to suspend him. (...)

Anca Hriban & R. I. P.
Ziua Luni 16 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Our Politicians

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President can't bear "gang of braggers"

Yesterday the President of Romania Traian Basescu developed upon his favorite topics once again. He explained his view on the pension raise, Bordei Park, the uninominal vote, the Constitution change and especially on why journalists were so hard to bear. He did all this talking in a show on the public radio post.
The head of state insisted that he would promulgate the pension law, on condition that the government provided him with the documentation so that he would make sure the pension funds would be enough till 2013. Basescu outlined it would be "a unique show", had the Parliament been summoned for extraordinary session to pass a new pension law. He commented: "I think it would be a unique show to have Mircea Geoana summon the Parliament once more. (...) Mircea Geoana, Bogdan Olteanu and the whole gang of braggers were asking me to promulgate the law before I received it." (...)
Enraged against journalists
The President let loose his abhorrence of journalists again. He argued: "The thing I would never give up for nothing in the world is my family's privacy. When I am with my wife, I am a private person, even if we are out in the city. I am not with politicians or state structures, I am not doing anything of public interest. And my wife doesn't have to bear what I personally took responsibility for. (...) I will respond every time the press disturbs me and my wife. It is my life and I am not giving it to them. As for the rest, journalists are as free as the birds".
He admitted: "I am at tense terms with those who offend me. But if I tease them a bit, they think a mountain has collapsed. Just watch TV and you will see people go mad when someone dares express an opinion resembling the President's".
President Basescu's rage was obvious: "Journalists are intrigued if one of them gets a depreciative word. But please try to count in one single day how many times you run into words as follow in newspapers: drunkard, stupid, idiot and more. In one single day such words are used 10 times more than I will say in 5 years of mandate. As journalists, you can't address a President this way. On the other hand, the President is supposed to tell himself: 'How brave you are. I like it.' This is impossible".
Bordei Park affair
According to the head of state, the target of the Bordei Park affair was the following: Costica Costanda, owner of the park, wanted to grab the piece of land under the French Village, at present property of Bucharest City Hall. President Basescu explained that it was the Bucharest inhabitants who were actually the owners of the French Village and the buildings there, reaching about 200-300 million Euro. He tried to explain why he had informed the Superior Council of Magistracy and why he had demanded inquiry on the court sentence reached in the Bordei Park case, asking the Bucharest City Hall and General Council to modify the general city plan. The president added that, according to the latter plan, Costanda was allowed to build on only 15% of the green area in the Bordei Park and the buildings were disallowed to have more than 3 floors. He mentioned, according to the plan, in the Floreasca Lake quarter they intended to build restaurants and entertainment places, but not office and bank buildings.

Anca Hriban
Ziua Sambata 14 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

President does money laundry

-- The President of Romania Traian Basescu was involved in fishy business both in 2000 and 2002.
In October 2004, the ONPCSB (The National Office to Prevent and Fight Money Laundry) demanded analysis of the transactions involving Traian Basescu and businessman Costel Casuneanu. The very same day in 2000 the two had bought lands from the very same owner. Although the pieces of land were close to each other and almost equal as surface, Basescu paid much less than Casuneanu.
In 2002, the President sold his property to his sister-in-law of Costel Casuneanu for 4 times more money. He used the money to buy a villa he donated to his daughter Ioana a few days later, but also a Mercedes, bought from the same Casuneanu.
Basescu chose such tricks in order to avoid stating some properties in his statement on personal properties, the above-mentioned Office assumes.
The Office proposed the reactivation of a work related to the same case, in 2003 categorized as "passive case". The case was to reach the Prosecutor's Office, but it was muffled shortly after Basescu had become a President. The National Anti-Corruption Department searched on the monkey business too, but prosecutor Camelia Sutiman buried the issue in January 2005. (...)

D.C.
Ziua Sambata 14 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Minimum pension, a whisky bottle for Basescu

-- President Basescu's attitude at the pension raise is really filthy. He lied to people even live on TV. He lied in his letter to PM Tariceanu. He lies as he breathes, hopeful that he can fool people forever.
Those who said the President was opposing the Liberals' draft on the pension raise, unanimously voted by the MPs, he called liars. And then he said he wouldn't promulgate "a lying law". Therefore on the one hand he promises to promulgate the law because the Constitution requires him to, even if he has to send it back to the Parliament first. And on the other hand he says he won't promulgate it if it proves having no financial resources. This is impossible.
Basescu is twice a liar this time. Because of the Constitution, he must promulgate the law, whether he likes it or not. Did he not do it, President Basescu would break the Constitution so severely that even the Constitutional Court would announce the crime that may call for his suspension or even resignation. You don't play with 5,5 million retired Romanians who are mocked. This is why President Basescu won't even risk sending the law back to the Parliament.
The request he sent PM Tariceanu, asking the latter to inform him on the funds able to cover for the norms on the pension raise law, is a presidential self goal and a ball for the Liberal government to catch. The latter is a government brave enough to overcome a psychological limit - or a (macroeconomic) vicious circle - and to do what should have been done a long while ago. The pension raise is a possible, necessary and moral measure. One can't possibly keep millions of people hardly surviving for 18 years because there are no resources. Hence there will be resources only when they are dead. Many of them passed away in the meantime anyway.
Another lie of Basescu's, the one that has fooled some, is that the large pensions will actually raise, whereas the small ones will be raised too little. 1. He wanted to enrage people, because those with large pensions don't get them from the social fund. 2. I would like to see President Basescu and his wealthy daughters who spend in one week as much as one poorest retired Romanian gets in 10 years, how he can manage to live on a minimum pension one single month: this is 350 RON, 3 bottles of Chivas. He can't even pay his taxes with it. As for medicine, food or hygiene products, they are out of question. On the money Basescu spends every day on a bottle of whisky a poor retired Romanian can survive a week. Therefore to those retired getting the minimum and average pensions this raise matters a lot. It makes them feel human beings instead of starving animals.
When it was about the promulgation of his salary raise, President Basescu signed it at once. He did the same when promoting Democrat general Stanca, formerly a member of the Communist Secret Service. Let the poor man get some more money! He out-heroded Herod by pleading for lustration.
The Tariceanu Cabinet must be brave enough to prove moral all the way. If the case, they should proceed to an emergency ordinance to cut as much as possible on the pensions of the ex Communists and of those involved in the political police. Mind you again: this is about criminal villains like general Plesita, enjoying pensions of thousands greens for having tortured and killed people, including these millions of poor retired Romanians, whose pensions President Basescu refuses to raise.

Roxana Iordache
Ziua Vineri 13 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Question of the Day: When ROMANIA will be an democracy ?

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Madmen's trial

The President of Romania Traian Basescu sued the Liberal health minister Eugen Nicolaescu and the trial is due in September 7, 2007. A statement made by the minister harmed the President's dignity.
"Basescu suffers from several diseases categories as mental diseases" are the words the President complained against, asking to be paid 500 million RON damages for harm done to his right to honor and reputation.
President Basescu demands the court to decide that minister Nicolaescu should pay for the printing of the court's decision in two editions of two national dailies. He also requests that the accused should pay for the trial expenses as well.
Minister Nicolaescu replied yesterday: "I think the President of Romania is again doing some exercise for the sake of his image, trying to assail the National Liberal Party one more time. I think that, if they had had time for complaints, like Mr. President has, all those harmed by Traian Basescu's political statements would have made him spend his time in courthouses only. I have taken up a sound Romanian principle: the smarter one gives up. As for the rest, I wish him my best".

Anca Hriban
Ziua Joi 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Basescu's bluff

-- These weeks are decisive for President Traian Basescu's entire political career. Although he has been isolated for a long time now, he has every time managed to find a crack to put a late effect bomb there and divert public attention from the severe errors committed in the first years of his mandate.
According to the Romanian dictionary, bluff means to lead the adversary into error and leave him the impression that your cards are better than his. Like a great poker player, Traian Basescu has always surprised his partners by taking full risks, even if he has only got a plain bluff in his hand. Expert gamblers say that after succeeding with two bluffs it is good to bet on the great cards only, for one adversary may get a good card and force you into showing what you have in your hands, which makes you vulnerable in future games, even if you pick up good cards. Had Basescu read the whole explanation in the dictionary, he would have found out that this bluff doesn't mean only "trick", but also "deceit".
The postponed promulgation of the pension law seems to me to be such a bluff, with Traian Basescu unmasked as trying to cheat on his partners. What the President has counted on in this scenario is obvious to everybody: on the one hand, on the belittling of the government's gain by this measure able to bring important electoral points and, on the other hand, on fooling people that, hadn't he got involved, the pension law would have been unable to apply. But this time his cheat and his demand for the government to provide him with data on the financial resources haven't been enough. It has made politicians roar with laughter. Firstly, because it isn't the President's job to make such a financial analysis, which the law initiators presented to the Parliament in detail anyway. Secondly, given the constitutional prerogatives, the President may at most send the law for revision just once and afterwards he has to sign for it. Then why make this scandal last longer ?
Party representatives were fooled in the latest consultations in Cotroceni Palace, which they attended like lambs ready to be sacrificed, since they knew they were in the middle of a dishonest political play. Now they no longer seem willing to obey Basescu's orders and therefore they have been writing piles of letter to the President, asking him to promulgate the pension law at once. The President is in the habit of making any political speech his victory. But this time he will drink from the bitter goblet of defeat. Unless he is wise enough to put up with his defeat, he may soon get to look into opinion polls like in a deep well, because people are willing to cheer you when you assail journalists. But if you leave them without their soup, they slap you.
This is the first time Traian Basescu is paying for the war he opened against Tariceanu. Under normal circumstances, before producing such a law draft, the parties in the Liberal-Democrat Alliance would have gone to Cotroceni Palace and, after consultations, they would have come out to inform public opinion so that they would enjoy the gains after such a victorious measure. The President has been arrogant at the PM for years now. And now his arrogance is turning into his own enemy. Maybe from now on he will for a long time regret having dumped some allies who would have never pursued to ruin his good reputation in the public eye.
If Basescu postpones the promulgation of the pension law, he will be at the heart of an important chapter in the history of political decay, whose first paragraphs have already been written.

Ion Spanu
Ziua Joi 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

EU and US support wanted

-- Sorin Iliesiu, vice president of the Civic Alliance and initiator of the appeal asking that Communist crimes should be officially condemned, Teodor Maries, a president of the 21st December 1989 Association, and Antonie Popescu, senior of Students' League, sent an open letter to the President of Romania Traian Basescu, the US ambassador in Bucharest and the Parliament of Europe. The authors demand support so that those responsible for the murders committed in December 1989 in Romania should be urgently sentenced. They also point to the delaying of the criminal cases on the Romanian Revolution and the coal miners' attacks in 1990 for several years. The document is critical of the Constitutional Court's latest decision to remove the cases from military prosecutors to civil ones.
In the letter there is argued as follows: "In these last 17 years, those guilty of the most dreadful assassinations by communism in the world, the slaughter in December 1989 and the fratricide in June 1990, have not been convicted. The main guilty for the crimes is Mr. Ion Iliescu, a President of Romania for 10 years, a former Communist activist".
The authors address President Basescu, as they think it is his duty to take action so that Justice would urgently restore the truth about Romania's recent history. In the document there is explained the entire evolution of the two cases and there are reminded the recent promises of general magistrate Dan Voinea, in charge of the cases, claiming that: "the cases will reach courts this year. The first are to be sent this month and the next one".
There is added that, after Ion Iliescu was charged with instigation to murder in June 18, 2007, "the Constitutional Court of Romania, made up of members mostly appointed by Ion Iliescu the accused, decided that the cases were to be removed from military prosecutors and transferred to civil prosecutors to handle so that the sentences would be delayed for years". Hence the main discontent of the Romanians fighting to unveil the truth and see the guilty convicted. There is also outlined: "This year both the general attorney and the minister of Justice committed to see that solutions would follow urgently". The authors warn: "Neither Romania nor the EU, neither NATO nor the US must put up with such injustice." They plead: "The truth is the only way Romania can make it. The EU, the NATO and the US need Romania to be clean and cured of the consequences of the crimes committed under the Communist dictatorship".
The last paragraph addresses the Parliament of Europe and the US ambassador to Romania, expressing kind request for support: "Help us exorcise the demons of the past in order to prevent them from reaching the future !"

Andrei Ghiciusca
Ziua Joi 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Charged ex president sent lawyers to talk to prosecutors

The lawyers of Ion Iliescu, ex President of Romania, went to the Prosecutor's Office yesterday to analyze the case charging their client with involvement in the coal miners' attacks in June 1990. Lawyer Ion Neagu says it is difficult to prove the guilt of the ex President, charged with involvement in murder. According to the lawyer, prosecutors must prove that Ion Iliescu deliberately influenced some persons to commit the respective crimes. The lawyer mentions in the case on the 4 Romanians who died in June 13, 1990 some people have already been investigated and claims he can't understand how the inquiry has led to Ion Iliescu's involvement.
Ion Neagu invokes the European Convention, according to which when certain deeds are committed under violent circumstances, they can't be called crimes, because of the special, unfortunate circumstances. The lawyer comments this point is in Iliescu's favor, because, as head of state, the latter had to choose between being passive at attacks against state institutions and taking action. Lawyers opine there is no evidence to incriminate the ex President. Prosecutors may question Ion Iliescu next week.

Bogdan Galca
Ziua Miercuri 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Pension fuss

-- Political leaders have been in competition making statements about the pension raise, each trying to show more concern about the Romanian retired.
PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu promised yesterday that the decision was irrevocable and he claimed it was not an electoral measure, especially that the governor of the National Bank of Romania came out to say it wouldn't cause inflation to grow. The PM also confessed he was thinking about settling a 90% competition for the medicine of the retired, even if the president of the Pharmacists Authority reminded him that the state had a 800 billion ROL debt to pay, because of having applied the same measure in 2004.
It was also yesterday that the President of Romania Traian Basescu announced he would promulgate the lying law only when it was usable financially. He expressed some questions for the PM. Mircea Geoana, leader of Romanian Social-Democrats, asked the President to promulgate the law "unhesitatingly". As for the Conservatives, they intend to go to Cotroceni Palace together with the representatives of the Romanian retired and ask for the same.
President Basescu's questionnaire
The President of Romania made a press statement yesterday evening and asked the PM some questions on the application of the new pension law, mentioning the issues raised would be part of a letter he would send the PM.
President Basescu claimed he wanted to know if there would be changes on the support funds the retired got to pay their heat bills and on those set for medicine. He argued: "So we give 50 RON to a retired Romanian and we cut his 80 RON support fund for heat. Pensions raise, but people don't get their medicine any more". He asked for precise estimation to look to 2011 and for an approximate one to reach 2013, a document to analyze whether the social state assurance budget was sustainable or not.
The President pointed to the "great" problem of the present law, outlining: "It leaves the poor in poverty and the ones enjoying large pensions get even larger ones." He commented: "It is one thing to apply 45% on 1 million ROL and it is something else to apply it on 10 millions. I think that, given the substantial budget effort, it is time for this effort to focus and help those on small pensions escape sheer poverty. I think there must be a balanced raise system instead of a linear one. "he added he wanted the financing for the pension raise to be certain, even if he had to return the draft to the Parliament.

Anca Hriban & Roxana Andronic
Ziua Miercuri 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english