FORMER RULING SOCIAL DEMOCRATS TO SIGN AGREEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUCHAREST 000762

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NCE BILL SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/16
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR RO
SUBJECT: FORMER RULING SOCIAL DEMOCRATS TO SIGN AGREEMENT
WITH EXTREMIST GREATER ROMANIA PARTY

Classified By: Ambassador Nicholas Taubman, Reason 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. The opposition Social Democratic Party
(PSD) announced May 8 it would sign a protocol of
parliamentary cooperation with the extreme nationalist
Greater Romania Party (PRM). PSD President Mircea Geoana
claimed publicly that the agreement would entail preparation
of a joint no-confidence motion directed against the
center-right government. Geoana categorically insisted,
including to the Ambassador, that the accord was not a
preamble to a political alliance between PSD and PRM. One
PSD contact told post that many in the party believe that
Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu will not remain in
office for the long term, due to his lack of support from
President Traian Basescu. End Summary.


2. (SBU) PSD's May 8 public announcement of an entente
between the PSD and PRM to move forward a no confidence
motion against the center right government followed several
days of uncertainty triggered by PRM President Corneliu Vadim
Tudor's May 5 declaration that the two parties would sign a
"protocol of cooperation in parliament...as a first step
towards the crystallization of an united opposition.8
Leading PSD politicians immediately expressed surprise at
Tudor's May 5 announcement regarding "imminent formalization"
of the relationship between their party and PRM. They
criticized Geoana for negotiating a deal with Tudor without
first consulting with party leaders. PSD Senator and
sociologist Vasile Dancu warned May 5 that &the protocol
might bring more costs than benefits.8 PSD spokesperson and
respected former Justice Minister Cristian Diaconescu
acknowledged publicly he was not aware of any pending
agreement between the two parties. PSD youth leader, Deputy
Victor Ponta, unequivocally stated that he opposed an accord
with the PRM. On May 7, representatives of the Party of
European Socialists (PES),of which PSD is a member,
expressed concern about the pending protocol in light of the
PES policy against members' forming ties with extremist and
xenophobic parties.


3. (SBU) After several days of hesitation, Geoana confirmed
May 8 that the two parties would move forward with the no
confidence motion. He also confirmed that PSD insider Viorel
Hrebenciuc would lead the PSD's negotiating efforts.


4. (C) A key Geoana counselor told EmbOffs May 9 that Geoana
was, in effect, sucker punched by Tudor's May 5 announcement
of a pending agreement. He acknowledged that the two leaders
had been privately discussing a possible entente for some
time, but he opined that Tudor had captured the initiative
(and the headlines) by his wholly unexpected May 5
announcement, putting Geoana in a "delicate" position with
PSD leaders. According to the counselor, Geoana scrambled
post May 5 to shore up his prestige within the party and
salvage the deal with Tudor. That said, the counselor
privately echoed Geoana's public insistence that the
agreement between the two parties was an ad hoc joint effort
to pass a no confidence motion against the center-right
coalition government. In response to a question from EmbOff,
however, the counselor admitted that PSD and PRM had
"excellent" long-standing cooperation at the local level.
The counselor, who also has a long history of working with
Hrebenciuc, asserted that Hrebenciuc "hated" the PRM and
(unlike Geoana) would not be trapped by Tudor.


5. (C) On May 8, the Ambassador spoke with Geoana to
underscore concern about what appeared to be a PSD alliance
with a party with well-documented anti-Semitic, anti-Roma,
and anti-ethnic Hungarian views. He expressed concern that
this would compromise the PSD in the eyes of many in other
parts of Europe and the U.S. Geoana claimed the Ambassador
that the PSD's agreement with PRM would be "purely strategic"
and focused on a discrete set of measures in the Parliament.
He asserted that the PSD would "cross no red lines" beyond
the terms of a "technical arrangement." The Ambassador
underscored that the PSD would be watched closely in this
regard.


6. (C) Comment. While the PSD has cooperated with the PRM in
the past to varying degrees, the announced agreement took
many political analysts by surprise. A number of
commentators have predicted the pact could further damage the
already diminished PSD public image, tarnished by a series of
corruption scandals in recent months. Nonetheless, one
Embassy PSD contact assessed that there could be a deeper
strategy, noting that many in the PSD leadership did not have
faith in the long-term political survival in office of PM
Tariceanu due to his lack of support from Basescu. While the
same contact did not speculate as to when Tariceanu could
face a challenge, he did assess that joint PSD and PRM

BUCHAREST 00000762 002 OF 002


efforts could eventually play a role in such an effort. End
Comment.

TAUBMAN