VZCZCXRO5393
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHBM #0300/01 0731619
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141619Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6256
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 000300 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/NCE FOR AJENSEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ENIV RO
SUBJECT: PRIME MINISTER TARICEANU TELLS AMBASSADOR BASESCU 
SHOULD BE TAUGHT "A LESSON" 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Nicholas F. Taubman, for reasons 
1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister Tariceanu told the Ambassador 
at a March 13 meeting that he had decided to postpone 
European parliamentary elections until the fall because he 
feared that they could not be carried out in the current 
political turmoil in "a European manner."  The PM appeared 
determined to stand up to what he characterized as President 
Basescu's continued interference in the work of his 
government.  While expressing concern over the potential 
damage to Romania's reputation of a Presidential suspension, 
Tariceanu sounded as if he were prepared to see the motion to 
suspend the President go forward, saying suspension might 
serve to "teach the President a lesson."  Despite the turmoil 
of the political scene, the PM emphasized his determination 
to work closely with the Ambassador in ensuring a timely 
privatization timetable for the Craiova automotive factory, 
which both GM and Ford are interested in buying. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Ambassador, DCM and Econ Chief met with Prime Minister 
Tariceanu on Tuesday, March 13, at the PM's request.  The PM 
wanted to discuss and explain his recent decision to postpone 
Romania's elections for the European Parliament, which had 
been scheduled to take place on May 13.  In addition, he 
wanted to review the Craiova automotive factory privatization 
process. 
 
Postponement of Elections to Protect EU's Image 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶3. (C) The PM gave the Ambassador a detailed explanation of 
his decision to postpone the European Parliamentary 
elections.  The PM observed that the political dynamics in 
other new EU member countries, in which domestic political 
issues crowd out the debate about EU issues, made him 
concerned that the same thing would happen in Romania.  The 
PM professed concern that, given the current turbulence in 
the domestic political scene, the EU elections would see the 
election of representatives like those in Gigi Becali's New 
Generation Party rather than politicians who represent "true 
Romanian values." 
 
¶4. (C) The PM claimed that he had asked the opposition 
parties to cease their attempts to suspend the President and 
had also requested that President Basescu postpone his push 
for a referendum for uninominal voting.  The PM asserted that 
neither side was willing to listen to reason and therefore 
the PM had taken the step of postponing the European 
Parliament elections to let the situation calm down.  The new 
date for the elections would be in the fall, although the 
date was not yet certain. 
 
¶5. (C) When the Ambassador asked the PM why he believed the 
political situation would be any better in the fall, the PM 
said he would seek to convince both sides to refrain from 
their respective plans (the opposition's effort to suspend 
the President, and the President's call for a referendum 
shifting election of parliamentarians to a uninominal 
system).  The PM claimed that he would be speaking to leaders 
of all the political parties in the near future. 
 
"Teaching the President a Lesson" 
--------------------------------- 
¶6. (C) The Ambassador observed that the recent political 
mudslinging and public arguments between the PM and President 
Basescu were harmful to Romania's image; Romania needed to 
have a government that could function for Romanians.  The PM 
said he too was frustrated but asserted the problems were not 
his doing.  He acknowledged that he and his government were 
hamstrung by the political feuding and that Romania was in 
danger of losing momentum and even investment due to the 
infighting.  Tariceanu recalled how the Democratic Alliance 
government had been formed in 2005 with a razor-thin 
parliamentary majority, asserting that "now the President has 
blown up the majority" by forcing the departure of the 
Conservative Party from government. 
 
¶7. (C) When asked for his take on his view about the move by 
the opposition to suspend the President for 30 days, the PM 
candidly said he had a mixed view.  On the one hand, the 
suspension effort was giving Romania a bad image, to both 
domestic and foreign audiences.  On the other hand, however, 
Tariceanu observed that he had felt the President's actions 
"on my own skin," and perhaps it was time to "teach him a 
lesson."  The PM wanted, he added, to remind the President 
that there was such a thing as the separation of powers. 
That said, the PM claimed that his party (PNL) had taken no 
final decision yet about how to vote in parliament regarding 
suspension.  The PNL would "see how things go" in the coming 
weeks.  The PM commented that the President was beginning to 
 
BUCHAREST 00000300  002 OF 002 
 
 
realize he was more and more isolated politically. 
 
¶8. (C) In the meantime, Tariceanu insisted he would press on 
with the business of governing.  He told the Ambassador that 
he planned to speak out in favor of a law establishing a 
National Integrity Agency in a speech before the Senate on 
March 14.  The PM would also go to parliament next week to 
discuss issues that were raised in the most recent European 
Council meeting, including on energy. 
 
Craiova Privatization still going forward 
----------------------------------------- 
¶9. (C) Tariceanu assured the Ambassador that the GOR was 
still interested in an expedited privatization of the Craiova 
automotive factory.  Even on this issue, however, he got in a 
dig at President Basescu, claiming that despite the 
President's being a "stick in the wheel," the PM had created 
the Commission for Privatization for the factory (Basescu had 
publicly criticized the terms of reference for the 
commission, which initially had included the right of the 
ministers serving on it to draw handsome bonuses for their 
contributions.)  The Ambassador asked the PM and the GOR to 
establish a firm timetable for the privatization so that all 
bidders would be on the same page.  The PM assured that 
Ambassador that the end of June was still the target date for 
the finalization of the sale, but also pledged to get the GOR 
to issue a firm calendar for privatization. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶10. (C)  The PM's candid remarks about seeing Basescu taught a 
lesson through a suspension from office, however caveated, 
suggest that Tariceanu will not go out of his way to 
encourage a different outcome.  That reticence to look past 
the bruising political combat between the two palaces, as 
well as the fact that any eventual suspension vote would be 
held by secret ballot, make the prospect for a 30-day 
suspension of Basescu more real.  At this juncture, the Prime 
Minister's star is rising, at least on the day-to-day 
political scorecard.  He, more than President Basescu, 
appears to be the figure who has options.  End Comment. 
 
 
TAUBMAN