EU had discussions yesterday on its position concerning Kosovo at the reunion of the Foreign ministers in Bremen, Germany. Several EU member states, among which Cyprus, Slovakia, Spain, Romania and Greece, are against granting the status of independence to the Serb province. Political conflicts at Bucharest have marked also this aspect of foreign policy: Romania was represented by the state secretary Adrian Vierita at the meeting in Bremen, as PM Tariceanu and President Basescu didn't manage to agree on appointing a new Foreign Affairs minister. Moreover, Romania's position regarding the settlement of the situation in Kosovo the way president Basescu had expressed it is contrary to the one expressed by London and Washington - the components of the foreign political axis announced by the current president at the beginning of his mandate. The conflict between the president and the PM might move in the foreign policy as well since Tariceanu has taken over the leadership of diplomacy, and he might try to modify the lines traced by Basescu. The situation in Kosovo is an explosive one: Albanians prepare themselves to gain independence while the Serbs dig out their dead ones and move them to Serbia. Basescu is for the integrity of Serbia President Traian Basescu said, on Thursday, that Romania maintained its viewpoint regarding the settlement of the situation of Kosovo province. "The respecting of the principles of international law, that is the territorial integrity of Serbia, the inviolability of its borders and the non-granting of collective rights to the minorities need to stay in the attention of those who, eventually, will decide", the president stated. "The mandate given by CSAT (Supreme Council for the Country's Defence) was that Romania maintains the viewpoint it has expressed so far. Of course, that doesn't mean this will also be the solution adopted by the European Union", the chief of State added, suggesting by this the fact that Romania might have a different position from the one the European community has.

George DAMIAN