AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH FM UNGUREANU ON NAZI

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 001421

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DEPT FOR EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL PGOV SOCI RO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETING WITH FM UNGUREANU ON NAZI
DEPORTEES

Classified By: DCM Mark A. Taplin for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Ambassador met with Foreign Minister Ungureanu
September 11 to discuss the return of Romanian-born Nazi war
criminals Michael Negele and Johann Leprich. Ungureanu said
that he had already prepared a response to the Secretary's
letter of September 7 in which she urged Romania to accept
the two individuals. Ambassador reiterated points in the
Secretary's letter, and noted that he had discussed the

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matter as recently as last Friday with Interior Minister
Blaga, who had indicated that an emergency decree might
provide a way to solve the problem.


2. (C) Foreign Minister Ungureanu replied that,
unfortunately, the Interior Minister had not been privy to
discussions between the President and Prime Minister, where
the two had agreed not to accept the two war criminals.
Ungureanu gave a precis of the current Romanian law barring
the repatriation of non-Romanian nationals involved in war
crimes, and noted that these individuals were part of a group
of ethnic Germans who had joined the German army and had
subsequently accepted German citizenship. He said that both
Romanian and German laws at that time did not allow for dual
citizenship, and concluded that he doubted, therefore, that
these two individuals were Romanian citizens at the time that
they applied for U.S. citizenship.


3. (C) Ungureanu agreed with the Ambassador that the facts
surrounding the naturalization of the two was in dispute, and
said that the decision to not accept the two individuals was
ultimately a "political" decision. On this point, he stated
that there was ultimately no political will in the Romanian
government to amend or suspend the current law. He noted
that he had a "thick file" of thousands of angry letters
protesting the decision of the previous government to accede
to return in 2002 of another Nazi war criminal from the
United States. At that time, he claimed, there were
negative reactions not only from the general public, but also
specifically from the Jewish community in Romania, who
protested Romania's allowing the entrance of war criminals.
He added that there had been a negative reaction from EU
countries as well. He said that he could confirm the
decision again with the President but he was certain that the
answer would be negative. Ungureanu did not respond to a
proposal from the Ambassador to have DOJ representatives come
out to Bucharest to discuss the legal issues with the
Romanian side.


4. (C) Comment: After months of inaction, the issue of
accepting the former Nazi war criminals has finally received
attention at the highest levels. According to Ungureanu
both President Basescu and Prime Minister Tariceanu are
unwilling to expend the political capital necessary to take a
"political" decision to accept the two Nazis. Given recent
speculations about the possibility of snap elections soon
after Romania's expected accession to the EU, may be that
both are concerned about protecting their political flanks
and loath to expose themselves to criticism on what could be
an unpopular move, particularly among more nationalistic
Romanians. We will try to confirm with other top Romanian
officials later today and tomorrow what the FM told us, but
it would appear the GOR has closed the door on accepting the
Nazis. End Comment.
Taubman