ROMANIAN SENATE RATIFIES DEFENSE COOPERATION

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 001015 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - WILLIAM SILKWORTH E.O. 12958, AS AMENDED: N/A TAGS: MOPS MARR MCAP PREL PGOV PTER RO SUBJECT: ROMANIAN SENATE RATIFIES DEFENSE COOPERATION AGREEMENT BY LARGE MARGIN Ref: Bucharest 912 (and previous) ¶1. (SBU) The Romanian Senate meeting in plenary session voted June 20 to adopt legislation to ratify the U.S.-Romanian Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) (Ref). The unofficial tally, recorded by an EmbOff present for the vote, was 62 "ayes", 3 "nays" and 2 abstentions. In a demonstration of bipartisan support, MFA State Secretary (and former Embassy Bucharest FSN) Anton Niculescu and Senate Defense Committee President George Cristian Maior, a prominent member of the center-left opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD), introduced the bill on the Senate floor. During his remarks introducing the legislation, Maior underscored the PSD's "unconditional support" for the DCA's ratification. ¶2. (SBU) The debate lasted about twenty minutes, with only three senators posing questions, none of which contested ratification. Although less tha half of Romania's 137 senators participated in he vote, Senate rules established a quorum basedon the presence of 72 senators at the beginning f the session. The DCA will become law upon signature by President Traian Basescu and publication in the "Official Monitor." Taubman