It seems that because of Boc Romanian president Traian Basescu is for the first time in real trouble concerning the CNSAS (National Council for Research on the Communist Secret Service Archive) scandal and elections for the CNSAS head. President Basescu has reached the solution typical of a true player to manage. The press, even that press controlled by the orange Khmers and civil society, has contributed to it. The press has been criticizing the president of state. But yesterday the latter came up with trophy for the press. It was the first time he attended an official meting on the activity of the SRI (Romanian Secret Service) in 2005. The event was premier because it was pubic and journalists were allowed to attend. Basescu uttered two interesting complex sentences. He said parties weren't fighting over principles, for citizens' free access to information about the former political police or for unveiling the truth for the sake of fair and clean history. He said they were fighting for the power to master information. In other words, the scandal on whether Ticu Dumitrescu or Turianu should take over the CNSAS is because the PNL (National Liberal Party) or the PD (Democrat Party) wants to get privileged information on political adversaries, of course. Or in the best case information about virtual allies to be fooled or blackmail. And here comes the second sentence I have just mentioned. By doing this Basescu is taking distance from this hot dispute so that in the future bullets from the Liberals or Democrats wouldn't hit him any more. The head of state is thus showing he is honest in his attempt to be above parties or at least to play the arbitrator. Therefore he shares neither the Liberals' view nor the one promoted by Emil Boc on behalf of the Democrats. In one year and four months this is the first time when Basescu has visibly taken distance from the PD. As I am trying to make out the meaning of such gesture, I can but consider two circumstances. Whether fairly or not, Traian Basescu has been blamed for the CNSAS scandal by the very people who used to support him passionately. As he is a skilful politician, the president had to think about the cause of it and find solution. Maybe this is why he postponed consulting with political parties, due yesterday. Civil society, for whom press is crucial, has proved to be unrelenting as far as the records of the ex Securitate are concerned. Traian Basescu decided to produce the apple of discord. He made a public and official offer: to take the prey in such records away from the hungry political parties to stop the fight and throw it to the press. Journalists can take pieces from this huge prey and give them to people, if their nature can be subject to disputes and political pacts. What a smart move! Basescu is actually trying to prove that he hasn't been involved in dispute, that the dispute is demagogical and that he is ready to reward the press, the non-orange press included, which has never happened before. And there is a fourth target this way he is sure to take distance from the PD, breaking to pieces accusations saying he is unable to be unbiased. But I think there is a vital question to be asked before praising him for this political move: Given his constitutional status as president of state, may he promote the emergency ordinance to offer the respective records to journalists? May he have legislative initiative? If not, what is he counting on? Is it by any chance a political party ready to serve him? Or is it a very creative political bluff? There is one more question I am asking so that I wouldn't be blamed for ignorance: What records is it about, anyway? Are they in the hands of the secret services? Or they aren't under control? Is it about the 1,300,000 records transferred to the CNSAS? This prey is not under presidential control. Neither the CSAT (Supreme Council for State Security) nor the secret services controls it any longer. But it has been offered to political parties anyway and they have started fighting. Basescu is struggling to seize it and then give it to the press, although it doesn't belong to him.

Sorin Rosca Stanescu