Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BUCHAREST1274
2006-08-15 11:56:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bucharest
Cable title:  

PRESIDENT BASESCU,S TRAVEL TO BAGHDAD AND KABUL:

Tags:  PREL MARR MOPS PGOV AF RO 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0603
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHBM #1274/01 2271156
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 151156Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4959
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 001274 

SIPDIS

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DEPT FOR EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV AF RO
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT BASESCU,S TRAVEL TO BAGHDAD AND KABUL:
ROMANIA HOPES TO INCREASE ECONOMIC INVOLVEMENT

REF: BUCHAREST 1258

Classified By: CDA Mark Taplin for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 001274

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2016
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV AF RO
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT BASESCU,S TRAVEL TO BAGHDAD AND KABUL:
ROMANIA HOPES TO INCREASE ECONOMIC INVOLVEMENT

REF: BUCHAREST 1258

Classified By: CDA Mark Taplin for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. President Traian Basescu,s August 9-10 trip
to Baghdad and Kabul reaffirmed Romania,s strong military
commitment and potential economic links with both countries.
In Iraq, Basescu,s meetings with the President, PM, and
cabinet members aimed to reestablish historic economic ties
between Romania and Iraq. Basescu aims to increase economic
benefits, normalize relations, and help provide long-term
security through mutual economic development. In Kabul,
Basescu met with President Karzai and promised to continue to
provide expertise in civilian reconstruction and to train
Afghan specialists in Romania. Karzai also accepted
Basescu,s offer to host a visit in Romania. Meanwhile,
Basescu exploited the trip to further relegate Defense
Minister Atanasiu to the sidelines -- by demonstrably leaving
him at home and announcing a deployment of U.S.-produced
Humvees to replace unreliable Romanian-made vehicles. End
Summary


2. (C) In an introductory meeting with Polchief August 11,
MFA Director General Stellian Stoian provided a readout of
Romanian President Basescu,s August 9-10 visit to Iraq and
Afghanistan. Stoian, who accompanied Basescu on the trip,
said that the August 9 Baghdad visit (reftel) was aimed at
normalizing bilateral relations and strengthening ties beyond
the military-to-military relationship. In the case of Iraq,
especially, Stoian said that the President was mindful of
business opportunities and the rekindling of pre-war
commercial ties.


3. (C) Stoian noted that Romanian companies were the logical
choice for reconstruction projects since they had been
involved in building up many Iraqi sectors in the first
place, including cement production, energy generation, and
the agricultural sector. Stoian said Romanians would
therefore be the best equipped to rehabilitate and modernize

those industries. He said that Iraqi authorities agreed to a
follow-up visit by Romanian experts, with the overall goal of
moving from statements to concrete activity so that Romania
would help provide more than just security in Iraq. He said
the "normalization" of bilateral relations would also benefit
the Iraqi side, since it would improve economic conditions
and give more legitimacy to the Iraqi government, by
underscoring that its foreign relations had more dimensions
than just its bilateral ties with the United States.

Afghanistan
--------------


4. (C) Basescu flew to Afghanistan directly from Iraq August
11 to review the second of Romania,s two largest deployments
of soldiers. Basescu met Afghani President Hamid Karzai and
other Afghani officials, held talks with the commanders of
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and
Operation "Enduring Freedom" (OEF),and visited Romanian
troops deployed in Kandahar, Kabul, and Qalat. Stoian said
Basescu had wanted to see the troops in Qalat especially as
they had just redeployed to what he termed a "more risky,
active region" where they had seen fifteen attacks in their
first ten days.


5. (C) During his meeting with president Karzai, Basescu
praised Afghanistan,s democratic development and pledged
Romania,s continued support for the consolidation of Afghani
democratic institutions. Basescu promised Romania would
continue to provide expertise in the field of civilian
reconstruction and offered to train Afghani specialists in
Romania. Stoian said, however, there was no concrete program
agreed upon. Stoian said Karzai accepted Basescu,s offer to
visit Romania. The two presidents also discussed ways to
enhance economic relations between the two countries. Stoian
said they were impressed with the Afghani cabinet ministers
and expected to increase contact with them during visits to
Bucharest of the Economic and Defense Ministers. He said
that Romania was invited to take part in projects related to
the building of cement factories, electrical power plants,
and irrigation systems and in the rehabilitation of roads and
bridges. Basescu also invited an Afghani military delegation
to come to Bucharest to explore how Romania could support the
equipping of the Afghani Army. Stoian said there would be
movement in the coming month on establishing long-term
military cooperation between the two countries.


6. (C) Stoian reported the Romanian President had reaffirmed
in a meeting with the commanders of the ISAF and OEF
Romania's determination to fulfill its commitments towards
its allies and to continue to contribute to the efforts of

BUCHAREST 00001274 002 OF 002


the international community to re-establish the security and
the stability of Afghanistan. According to Stoian, Basescu
also said that Romania would consider a NATO request to
increase the number of its troops stationed in Afghanistan.
(Note: Local UK Embassy contacts have told us that the
request was for an additional company-sized unit, along with
reserves. End note.)


7. (C) The local press continued to focus on Basescu,s
remarks on the equipment of Romanian troops after recent
declarations of Defense Minister Teodor Atanasiu that Romania
could no longer properly fulfill its missions abroad due to
old and unreliable equipment. Basescu was driven from the
Kandahar airport to the military bases in a U.S. military
Humvee vehicle. He told journalists accompanying him that
Humvees would replace the Romanian military,s old vehicles.
Basescu said this was an agreement he had made with U.S.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during his recent U.S.

SIPDIS
visit. Basescu noted that his intervention brought the
American vehicles "into the field" for the troops, immediate
use.


8. (C) Comment: President Basescu,s trip to Iraq and
Afghanistan was likely designed to remind Romanians -- as
well as the President's political antagonists -- of his role
as commander-in-chief and principal architect of Romania,s
foreign and security policies. This was particularly useful
in the wake of recent calls by his Prime and Defense
Ministers for a Romanian troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Basescu,s efforts to develop business opportunities for
Romanian firms, are designed mainly to counter some critics
who have charged that Romanian military deployments were
doing little good for Romania,s economy. His ability to
broker deals or convince more business ties, however, are
limited by both Romanian perceptions of the dangers of
working in Iraq as well as the lack of direct leverage that
the President has over GOR economic policy. End comment


9. (U) Amembassy Bucharest's reporting telegrams are
available on the Bucharest SIPRNET Website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest.

Taplin