PSD (Social-Democrat Party) member Gorge Maior, whom President Traian Basescu recommended as future chief of the SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service), announced yesterday that he would resign from the SRI in case the PSD got power. He also claimed the law should settle a principle such as the idea that a representative of the opposition should head one intelligence service. He promised to respect this, even if it was not in the law. He claimed that recommendation for him was not part of a political game or arrangement. As for the national security laws, Maior commented both versions included controversial points and pleaded for an intermediate version. He commented: "Personally and professionally, I believe there is need to make a synthesis of the two views." Maior denied having helped Mugur Ciuvica in the trial against the man who was now President of Romania. Moreover, he said he hadn't provided the court with information on Basescu's alleged collaboration with the ex Securitate (Communist Secret Service in Romania) while the latter had been in trial against Ciuvica. "A normal relationship" In his interview to NewIn Agency, the future SRI chief admitted yesterday that Ioan Talpes, formerly a chief of the SIE (Foreign Intelligence Service), was his godfather. He explained: "Ioan Talpes is indeed my godfather. We have been in family relations for a long time. I appreciated his action meant to change the intelligence services. We had a normal relationship, an institutional one, when he became a national security presidency adviser and I became a state secretary in the Ministry of Defense (2000-2004). We often had controversies, because I didn't and I don't share certain opinions of his." (...) (R.A.)