The President of Romania Traian Basescu recommended that PSD (Social-Democrat Party) member George Maior should take over the SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service). And war has burst out in Romanian politics because of it. Yesterday Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu criticized President Basescu and opined the latter was turning into a partner of the PSD. On the other hand, there is doubt on the Parliament vote for or against the President's recommendation. On Friday evening while in Cluj Napoca Romanian Liberals decided that Liberal MPs would vote against Maior. The PNL announced it just one day after the PRM ("Great Romania" Party) had expressed opposition to the idea that Claudiu Saftoiu should become chief of the SIE (Foreign Intelligence Service). The UDMR (Democrat Union of Magyars in Romania) expressed disagreement with the idea to select intelligence chiefs on political criteria. But the group is to make a decision before the Parliament vote. As for the Conservatives, they haven't decided whether to go for Maior or not yet. Maior himself is skeptical about the support from his PSD colleagues in the Parliament. So far it has been only the PD (democrat Party) who have not opposed this recommendation. They have even started negotiations with the other parliamentary parties so that Basescu's proposals would get consent from both senators and deputies. (...) Basescu, a partner of the PSD PM Calin Popescu commented yesterday in Baia Mare that by recommending a PSD representative to take over the SRI the President was turning into a partner of the PSD. Tariceanu explained: "The terms between the PNL and the President shouldn't be my concern, but the President's, since due to the Constitution he must play the mediator. Therefore he should be unbiased about political parties. (...) As for the recommendation for Maior, the PM commented: "Since the president has consulting with one single party on the choice for a SRI chief, then he is no longer a factor of balance. In a way, he is turning into a partner of the PSD. And this is not the business of the PNL, but of the President." (...) PD wants PNL to be on the same side Romanian Democrats' president Emil Boc replied it was desirable that his party and the PNL should be one the same side as far as George Maior was concerned, even if the latter was member of a still unchanged party. Last Saturday while in Cluj he expressed hope that the two parties would reach consensus in the meeting they would have before the Parliament vote. The Democrat leader pointed: "We will enter no political exchange or negotiations on matters of national safety and security." He opined that recommendation for a PSD member to take over the SRI was something normal that should be disturbing to no one. (...)

Roxana ANDRONIC, Razvan GHEORGHE