ROMANIA: LEADERS TELL FORMER SECRETARY ALBRIGHT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BUCHAREST 000422

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EINV ENRG MARR RO
SUBJECT: ROMANIA: LEADERS TELL FORMER SECRETARY ALBRIGHT
THEY WANT STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO CONTINUE

Classified By: AMBASSADOR NICHOLAS TAUBMAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: Romania wants continuing U.S. commitment to
the bilateral partnership and stability in U.S. policy toward
Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region following U.S.
elections this fall, leaders told visiting former Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright on May 22. President Traian
Basescu told Albright that Romania strongly values its close
ties with the United States and is concerned that any new
U.S. Administration likewise recognize Romania's value as a
strategic partner. Basescu and Prime Minister Calin
Popescu-Tariceanu each provided similar assessments of
Romania's biggest challenges, saying the country badly needs
investment in infrastructure, education, and health care in
order to consolidate the economic and political gains of
recent years and to keep Romania on a solid path of growth.
The leaders also exchanged views with Albright on Kosovo and
Serbia, Russia, energy security, and domestic health care.
Albright was in Bucharest principally to promote cervical
cancer awareness and prevention through vaccination,
sponsored by pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck. She also met
with new Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu. End summary.

PRESIDENT BASESCU: STICK TO THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
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2. (C) President Basescu told former Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright that Romania needs the United States to
"stick to the strategic partnership" no matter who wins the
U.S. election this fall. Noting Romania's huge geopolitical
investment in its relationship with the United States,
Basescu said Romania is pursuing a regional-focused foreign
policy that is broadly aligned with U.S. objectives on the
international level. In that sense, both Iraq and
Afghanistan fall beyond Romania's traditional regional areas
of interest, but Romanians are there fighting alongside U.S.
troops as part of "our share of the cost" for being a U.S.
partner, Basescu explained. Albright said that if the
Democrats win in the fall they will move thereafter to draw
down U.S. forces in Iraq and to pursue a "more diplomatic
approach," though "it will be harder than they think."
Basescu responded that he sees no purely diplomatic solution
in Iraq and that the military effort should be sustained. In
Afghanistan, "our role is clear" and Romania will fully honor
its NATO commitments, he said.


3. (C) In an extended discussion of Russia, Basescu said
Europe and the U.S. must work jointly to convince Russia that
its "imperialist role" must stop. Russia is actively working
to manipulate EU decisions internally by influencing
individual member states, and Romania is attempting to
reinforce the message within the EU that only collective
unity will be effective in the face of Russian pressure.
"They (the EU) should listen to us because we have millennia
of experience" dealing with Russian interference, Basescu
said. Starting with Transnistria, Romania is watching
Russian activities in "frozen conflict" zones carefully;
Basescu speculated the Russians are attempting to create "new
Kaliningrads" from which to project a destabilizing
influence. It is in Romania's strategic interest to bolster
democratic regimes around the Black Sea, starting with
Georgia, he continued. Basescu advocated that the EU and the
U.S. deal actively with both President Medvedev and with
Prime Minister Putin, because for the time being "without
Putin you won't get anything done" but "Medvedev won't accept
Putin's control forever." Basescu predicted an internal
power struggle over the next couple of years as Medvedev
gradually moves to assert himself; "this will complicate our
dealings with the Kremlin."


4. (C) A united EU stance is particularly vital with regard
to energy policy; Romania is a firm supporter of the Nabucco
pipeline project and is pursuing its own energy diplomacy
with Central Asian countries to promote greater independence
from Russia, Basescu observed. In his own conversations with
the leaders of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan,
Basescu said, all expressed frustration that they can
currently get gas to market only through Gazprom
infrastructure; "they will embrace Nabucco" if the consortium
partners, especially within the EU, can get organized. Asked
by Albright about Kazakh President Nazarbayev, Basescu
described him as an "enlightened communist" who runs the
country internally with a firm hand, but is very pragmatic in
managing Kazakhstan's energy resources and is determined to
diminish Moscow's control and influence. Basescu
acknowledged that Nazarbayev and his family benefit

BUCHAREST 00000422 002 OF 003


enormously from corruption, but said, "He can be a good
partner for us. We'll just have to live with it."


5. (C) Turning briefly to the Balkans, Basescu asserted that
Romania won't recognize Kosovo "for the next six years"
because Romanians feel an affinity with Serbia, "the only
neighbor we've never gone to war with;" Romanian voters will
punish politicians perceived as anti-Serb. Basescu said he
is in close touch with Serbian President Tadic and is
determined to help push Serbia toward Europe and away from
Russia.


6. (SBU) On the domestic front, Basescu views Romania's
greatest challenge to be using effectively the current wealth
of available resources ) especially EU structural funds )
to make the investments in infrastructure, education, health
care, and environmental preservation that Romania needs to
support long-term growth and competitiveness. He is
determined to push through educational reform despite
resistance from teachers' unions and plans to make this a
central campaign theme of his party this year. Basescu also
noted Romania's need for land reform to consolidate small
individual plots into larger holdings more suitable for
commercial agriculture. He dismissed the current rush to
produce biofuels as a fad which is harming world food
production and the environment. He told Albright he would
support her call for a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination
campaign to prevent cervical cancer, which kills an average
of six Romanian women per day (more than breast cancer, and
the highest rate in Europe).

PM TARICEANU: CONSTITUTION IS HOLDING US BACK
--------------


7. (SBU) In a conversation largely focused on domestic
issues, Prime Minister Tariceanu told Madeleine Albright that
Romania's greatest challenge today is to make needed
investments to sustain high growth rates and to continue on a
path of convergence with the rest of the EU. Foreign
investment is a key element, and Romania offers many
opportunities for U.S. investors; the recent Ford Motor Co.
acquisition of Automobile Craiova is an FDI success story of
which he is particularly proud, Tariceanu said. The PM
agreed with Albright's observations on needed improvements
within Romania's health care system and noted his government
is greatly expanding cancer screening programs. He expressed
strong interest in HPV vaccination but cautioned that the
cost of the vaccine was a potential deterrent.


8. (C) Responding to Albright's observation that political
and economic reform must go together, Tariceanu stressed that
in order to grow and prosper in the future, Romania badly
needs constitutional reform. The current constitutional
framework is a "strange hybrid" between a parliamentary and
presidential system which "gives too large a role to strong
personalities who want to impose their authoritarian views,"
he quipped. As a result, Romania had wasted tremendous
political energy over the last year on internal political
squabbles. Tariceanu said he wants a system with better
checks and balances and which isn't so easily influenced by
"a wealthy few," but noted that reform would not succeed
"until we have a political elite that really wants it."
Tariceanu told Albright he expects national parliamentary
elections to be held in November 2008 and hopes a governing
majority will emerge which can push through constitutional
changes.


9. (C) On foreign policy, Tariceanu said he is very concerned
about developments in Serbia, and that all of Romania's
leaders are united in a desire to support President Tadic and
to push Serbia toward the EU. The PM affirmed Romania's
"current position" not to recognize Kosovo, but added "we
need a more flexible policy" and said he would discuss this
with President Basescu. (Comment: The Foreign Ministry
notetaker present later called the Embassy to ask whether
this is indeed what we had heard Tariceanu say, noting the
comment took him completely by surprise. End comment.)
Tariceanu voiced concerns over Russia's efforts to re-assert
itself as a great power and its "policy of energy blackmail
toward the EU." Romania wants the Nabucco project to succeed
but is grappling with Turkey's insistence on "too much
control" over gas transit conditions. Tariceanu concluded by
saying that Romania will remain a friend of the United
States. Asked by Albright whether he intends to visit the
U.S. this year, the PM demurred, saying a visit would be
difficult prior to the parliamentary elections.

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FM COMANESCU: WE WILL BE NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVISTS
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10. (C) Recently-appointed Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu
opened the meeting with Madeleine Albright by saying Romania
strongly values its partnership with the U.S. and trusts this
will continue "no matter who wins the White House." Both
countries have built a strong framework for cooperation,
particularly through military ties. Still, Romania is eager
to complement this with stronger economic relations,
including attracting more U.S. investment. Despite
occasional challenges like "the big torture of the highway"
(a reference to Bechtel and the Transylvania Motorway
project),U.S. companies can strengthen Romania's economy and
contribute to the GOR's efforts to more equitably distribute
economic growth outside of Bucharest, Comanescu observed.


11. (C) While acknowledging that his tenure will likely only
last until late this year, Comanescu said he intends to "take
an activist approach in our neighborhood" in line with both
NATO and EU priorities. These include bolstering Serbia's
Western orientation; pursuing closer ties with Turkey on
Black Sea and energy issues (particularly Nabucco); working
to improve relations with Moldova; and continuing engagement
with Ukraine and Georgia to help position them for "positive
outcomes" from the year-end evaluations agreed upon at the
Bucharest NATO Summit. Georgia in particular needs support,
but tempered with more pragmatism, Comanescu observed;
Romania shares deep concerns about Russia's role in Abkhazia
but will advocate a "less emotional" approach by Tbilisi.

COMMENT
--------------


12. (C) In all three meetings, Dr. Albright's unequivocal
statements that U.S. leaders ) regardless of political
affiliation ) appreciate Romania as a valued ally, and her
acknowledgement of Romania's contributions and sacrifices in
Iraq and Afghanistan, were very well received. Romanian
officials, particularly President Basescu, were eager to hear
her views on the U.S. political scene and to make their own
direct appeal for stability and continuity in the strong
bilateral relationship regardless of who is elected in
November. Perhaps anticipating that he will be on the scene
for a good while to come, Basescu's message to Albright was
that the strategic partnership with the U.S. is the
cornerstone of Romania's foreign policy, and he wants to keep
it that way. End comment.
TAUBMAN