ROMANIA ADVOCATES BALANCED APPROACH TOWARD CRISIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 001161

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - WILLIAM SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV RO
SUBJECT: ROMANIA ADVOCATES BALANCED APPROACH TOWARD CRISIS
IN LEBANON - CEASEFIRE BASED ON DISARMING HEZBOLLAH


Classified By: DCM Mark Taplin for Reasons 1.4 B and D


1. (C) Summary: President Basescu publicly called for the
international community to end the human tragedy in Lebanon
by enforcing UN Security Council Resolutions aimed at
disarming and disbanding Hezbollah. MFA officials assure
Romania's balanced approach to the crisis, citing close
contact with Israel. The evacuation of Romanians from Lebanon
is going well, but Romania may ask for U.S. help evacuating
stragglers should the need arise. End Summary.


2. (C) In a press conference dedicated to the conflict in
Lebanon, Romanian President Traian Basescu on July 19 called
on the UN Security Council "to come up with a solution to put
an end to the human tragedy in Lebanon and Israel." He
stressed that the "international community was not able to
properly enforce two of the resolutions issued by the UN
Security Council that clearly stated that guerrillas must be
disarmed and that all those who illegally sell weapons to
military factions must be stopped and punished."


3. (C) In a July 20 meeting, MFA Director General for Global
Affairs Stelian Stoian informed PolOff that Romania seeks a
ceasefire and comprehensive solution according to UNSCR 1559,
requiring both disarming and disbanding. He said that only "a
ceasefire now would be unbalanced" since "next time the other
side would just start again." Stoian commented that Romania
enjoys "very good bilateral relations with Israel." He said
Foreign Minister Razvan Mihai Ungureanu discussed the
situation with the Israeli Foreign Minister on July 19,
cautioning that the "risk for Israel" is the "perception that
Israel is guilty for a humanitarian crisis due to a
disproportionate response." He said this could be a problem
in Europe. Stoian did not believe Romania's "balanced
approach" to the crisis in Lebanon would change in favor of a
ceasefire alone.


4. (C) Stoian has been involved in the evacuations from
Lebanon, along with the MFA Consular team, and in frequent
contact with the Romanian Ambassador in Beirut. Though this
meeting was not focused on the Lebanese situation, Stoian
mentioned at the end that the GOR would consider requesting
assistance from the U.S. in evacuating Romanians should
additional citizens appear in small numbers at a later date.
He stressed that the comment was highly theoretical at this
point, and that Romania would only look to its allies as an
ad hoc solution should the stragglers appear in such small
numbers as to make a Romanian operation unfeasible.


5. (U) Amembassy Bucharest's reporting telegrams are
available on the SIPRNet website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest
TAUBMAN