in numele si pe spinarea noastra:
October 31, 2003
Vizita prezidentiala
De prin presa adunate:
Scrisoare de bun venit pentru Iliescu, din America
27/10/2003
--anchete.ro
................................................................
Ce cauta presedintele Iliescu in Ohio
Stiind cum stau lucrurile pe aici prin Ohio, pot spune ca exista o comunitate importanta romaneasca, dar nu sunt sigur ca Iliescu a ales acest stat pentru a face o vizita “puternicei comunitati romanesti” in cunostinta de cauza. Cu siguranta ca altele sunt motivele alegerii unui sejur in Ohio, dar nu este exclus sa aflam. Este orium greu de crezut ca domnia sa a batut atita drum pentru a se intilni cu un oarecare consul onorific Dobrea, cu preasfintia sa parintele Irineu si cu preacucernicul parinte Grama la biserica ST. Mary din Cleveland.
Nici donatia de carte facuta bibliotecii acestei biserici si nici depunerea de flori la statuia lui George Enescu nu poate constitui un motiv. Poate pentru baietii care il insotesc, receptia din aceasta seara (26 Oct. 2003) sa fie cit de cit de interes.
Deocamdata astea sunt datele pe care le detinem, dar vom reveni mai pe larg, cu concluzii, la finalul vizitei. Cit despre interesul pe care americanii il acorda acestei vizite prezidentiale, ar fi de mentionat ca primarul Campbell, prins cu treburi importante, a trimis-o pe “distinsa doamna Janik” sa il reprezinte in fata sefului statului roman si sa-i dea acestuia cheile orasului. Probabil pentru cazul in care vrea sa plece peste noapte din mijlocul “importantei” comunitati romanesti de la Cleveland.
[...]
de Andrei Ionescu
27/10/2003
--anchete.ro
................................................................
Vazut de peste Ocean, Iliescu pare campionul luptei anticoruptie
Ironia sortii face ca la 14 ani de la revolutie, simbolul luptei anticoruptie in Romania sa fie, potrivit parerilor exprimate chiar de George Bush, presedintele Ion Iliescu • Trecutul controversat al presedintelui, mineriadele - cu tot ce au insemnat ele pentru Romania - au fost date uitarii de oficialii de la Washington, care din motive mai mult sau mai putin cunoscute s-au decis sa-l declare pe Ion Iliescu cavalerul dreptatii • "Imi pare rau ca nu mai puteti candida anul viitor, pentru ca dumneavoastra sunteti mai presus de orice banuiala", i-a declarat George W. Bush, citat de Antena 1, presedintelui roman, cerandu-i imperativ omologului sau de la Bucuresti sa dea" un semnal serios de lupta impotriva coruptiei" • Pentru noi, romanii, Ion Iliescu nu este nici pe departe cavalerul neprihanit descris de presedintele Bush. Coruptia din Romania a inflorit cu binecuvantarea lui Iliescu. Afacerile Bancorex, Jimbolia, precum si cultivarea in preajma sa a unor oameni de afaceri controversati, daca ne gandim numai la Ovidiu Tender, demonstreaza ca presedintele Iliescu nu numai ca nu a luptat cu coruptia, asa cum cred americanii, ci a tolerat-o si chiar a cultivat-o, motiv pentru care astazi acest fenomen a scapat oricarui control • In cursul vizitei sale la Washington, Iliescu a declarat ca Romania este dispusa sa ofere Statelor Unite sprijin logistic militar pe teritoriul ei.
Ironia sortii face ca, la 14 ani de la revolutie, simbolul luptei anticoruptie in Romania sa fie, potrivit parerilor exprimate de americani, presedintele Ion Iliescu. Tot trecutul controversat al presedintelui, mineriadele, cu tot ce au insemnat ele pentru Romania, au fost date uitarii de oficialii de la Washington, care, din motive mai mult sau mai putin cunoscute, s-au decis sa-l declare pe Ion Iliescu cavalerul dreptatii.
Bush l-ar mai vrea pe Iliescu o tura la Cotroceni
Spre surprinderea tuturor, in cadrul intrevederii presedintelui Iliescu cu omologul sau american, George W. Bush, acesta din urma si-a exprimat regretul ca actualul locatar de la Cotroceni nu mai poate candida pentru un nou mandat, deoarece el ar fi fost garantia ca lupta cu coruptia va continua. "Imi pare rau ca nu mai puteti candida anul viitor, pentru ca dumneavoastra sunteti mai presus de orice banuiala", a declarat George W. Bush, citat de Antena 1. Mai mult, potrivit aceluiasi post de televiziune, presedintele SUA i-a cerut imperativ omologului sau de la Bucuresti sa dea "un semnal serios de lupta impotriva coruptiei".
Iliescu, ocrotitorul coruptilor
Ne e greu sa credem ca presedintele Bush nu are consilieri bine informati si de aceea credem ca este vorba fie de o imagine deformata a realitatilor din Romania, fie de un joc politic ale carui dedesubturi ne scapa deocamdata. Cert este ca Ion Iliescu nu este nici pe departe cavalerul neprihanit descris de presedintele Bush. Coruptia din Romania a inflorit cu binecuvantarea lui Iliescu. Afacerile Bancorex, Jimbolia s-au derulat fara probleme in timpul primului sau mandat prezidential, fara ca Iliescu sa fi facut vreun gest de pedepsire a celor vinovati. Mai mult, seful statului a cultivat in preajma sa un grup de oameni de afaceri extrem de controversati, daca ne gandim numai la Ovidiu Tender, implicat intr-o retea de spalare a banilor proveniti din vanzarea drogurilor din America de Sud.
Aceasta carte de vizita nu-l onoreaza pe Ion Iliescu, chiar daca el personal nu poate fi acuzat ca a facut afaceri sau s-a imbogatit pe cai oculte. Simpla tolerare a coruptiei a dus la explozia acestui fenomen care astazi pare extrem de greu de controlat.
Romania, la picioarele Americii
Romania este dispusa sa ofere Statelor Unite sprijin logistic militar pe teritoriul ei, a declarat, ieri, la Washington presedintele Ion Iliescu, intr-un interviu dat postului de televiziune CNN. "Am oferit deja ajutor militar si suntem deschisi si increzatori in capacitatea noastra de a fi utili. Realizam ca Statele Unite apreciaza in mod real aceste oportunitati oferite de catre Romania", a confirmat Ion Iliescu in direct intrebarea realizatorului CNN, Wolf Blitzer.
Seful statului roman a mai spus ca toate sondajele de opinie arata ca majoritatea romanilor ar fi in favoarea unei astfel de decizii. "Alegerea noastra a fost aceea de a lupta impreuna cu cei mai buni prieteni in incercarile prin care au trecut. Am fost pe deplin alaturi de presedintele Bush dupa 11 septembrie 2001, cand el a afirmat ca dusmanul pacii mondiale si al stabilitatii este terorismul, care comite crime impotriva pacii", a spus presedintele Ion Iliescu, accentuand ca datoria comuna a intregii lumi este sa arate solidaritate si sa lupte impreuna.
Presiuni pentru imbunatatirea climatului investitional
Problemele economice au constituit un subiect prioritar de discutie cu prilejul intalnirii presedintelui roman cu directorul executiv al Fondului Monetar International, Horst Kohler. Acesta a spus ca Romania a facut pasi decisivi pe drumul restructurarii si al alinierii economiei la criteriile Uniunii Europene, subliniind in acelasi timp necesitatea imbunatatirii climatului institutional din tara. Acest mesaj i-a fost transmis presedintelui roman si in cursul intrevederilor avute cu membrii Senatului american sau cu diversi oameni de afaceri.
De altfel, ultimele puncte de pe agenda vizitei la Washington au fost participarea la un mic dejun de lucru cu reprezentanti ai mediilor de afaceri americane, precum si convorbiri cu reprezentantii companiilor Northrop Grumman si General Dynamics.
Din SUA, seful statului roman este asteptat in Portugalia, unde va efectua o vizita oficiala de doua zile, la invitatia omologului sau portughez, Jorge Sampaio.
de Iulia Nueleanu
30/10/2003
--Curentul
................................................................
Pentagonul a facut, in timpul vizitei sefului statului roman, o confuzie de proportii, plasand steagul Rusiei in dreptul presedintelui Ion Iliescu, la dejunul de lucru cu secretarul Apararii, Donald Rumsfeld. Donald Rumsfeld si Ion Iliescu au luat, luni seara, un dejun de lucru la Pentagon, cei doi oficiali avand pe masa steagul SUA, dar si pe cel al Rusiei, in loc de tricolorul romanesc.
Fotografia care atesta momentul a fost publicata pe site-ul Internet al Departamentului american al Apararii. Conform uzantelor de protocol, la discutiile, intalnirile sau reuniunile bilaterale sau multilaterale, drapelele nationale sunt plasate in dreptul reprezentantilor tarilor respective. Dupa 1989, oficialii romani au fost, de mai multe ori, victimele confuziilor celor occidentali. Cea mai frecventa greseala a fost rostirea in public a numelui capitalei Romaniei drept "Budapest", in loc de "Bucharest", dar si confuzii de nume, cea mai hilara fiind "Ceausescu" in loc de "Constantinescu".
29/07/2003
--Adevarul
................................................................
Cine-a stat cinci ani la rusi incurca steagurile cu Bush
De data aceasta n-a fost "Good morning, Budapest", adresat, ca salut cordial, in inima Bucurestiului. A fost insa steagul rusesc ce a tronat in locul tricolorului romanesc pe masa Pentagonului in timpul dejunului de lucru dintre delegatia romana si cea americana, conduse de presedintele Iliescu si, respectiv, secretarul apararii din Statele Unite, Donald Rumsfeld. Semn ca si angajatii protocolului de la Pentagon mai au, inca, probleme cu localizarea Romaniei pe harta. Fotografia din timpul intalnirii, publicata pe site-ul Departamentului Apararii, demonstreaza insa ca presedintele Iliescu nu parea catusi de putin deranjat de confuzia facuta intre tara sa naturala si cea in care si-a efectuat studiile superioare.
Vizita in Statele Unite a presedintelui Iliescu a luat, ieri, sfarsit. Seful statului s-a indreptat catre Portugalia, urmatoarea destinatie a turneului sau. Ceva mai in tema decat oficialii americani, presedintele portughez, Jorge Sampaio, a declarat ca intelege aproximativ 30-34% din ceea ce spune Ion Iliescu in limba romana, ceea ce, in opinia sa, demonstreaza ca romanii si portughezii au valori culturale comune.
de Oana Dobre
31/10/2003
--Curentul
................................................................
Din presa americana:
- Romanian President gets hero's welcome
10/27/03
James Ewinger
Plain Dealer Reporter
But for the limousines and police escort, yesterday's gathering on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive resembled a family reunion.And so it was, as dozens of Romanian Americans shouldered in to say hello and have their pictures taken with Ion Iliescu.
He is the president of Romania, arriving a day early for an official state visit today with President Bush in Washington.But before he sees the most powerful man in the world today, he took the time yesterday to see hundreds of men, women and children in Cleveland.
He is bound to Bush through politics, through growing U.S. investment and trade, membership in NATO and armed support for the war on terrorism.
Iliescu was bound to the Clevelanders by blood and heritage.
So what brought him to Cleveland is something that might not seem so remarkable to anyone who lives here: the vitality of an ethnic group, long established, but still very much in touch with the culture of a land that many may never have visited.
His first destination, straight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport around noon, was St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Cathedral on Warren Road. His entourage, which included a sizable portion of his Cabinet, arrived a bit before noon, just as the parish priest and two bishops were finishing the liturgy.
George Dobrea, a Clevelander who serves as Romania's honorary consul here, said this is the oldest Romanian community in the United States, and St. Mary's is the oldest Romanian Orthodox Church in this country. The church is an apt metaphor, too, because it is a modern complex that remains faithful to the indigenous architecture of Romania. And it includes a cultural center that is rich with folk art, fine art and artifacts that span the centuries.
So for nearly an hour, the Rev. Remus Grama, the parish priest, showed the government of Romania how that nation's heritage has taken root in the Cleveland.
Iliescu was escorted into the church hall where nearly 300 Clevelanders awaited. "I am so proud to be here among representatives of the Romanian soul," he said.
"I know everyone would like greet the president," a member of the congregation announced on the PA system. But everyone should sit down, he said, "because the president would like to sit and eat something."
Iliescu is a former communist who rhapsodizes about economic devel opment, trade and rapprochement with the West. He speaks now of burgeoning trade between America and Romania - $1 billion last year, he said - and growing investment, including acquisition of a roller-bearing plant in Ploesti, by Ohio-based Timken.
He and his ministers will meet today with the president and Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other officials. But that's another day. Yesterday was hearth and home. Iliescu told The Plain Dealer that he admires the Romanians here "as a very vivid, a very active community, active in maintaining their identity."
About midafternoon, the entire entourage, limos, two buses full of Romanian reporters, police escort and all, descended on the Romanian Cultural Garden, one of 24 nationality sites along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Iliescu laid a wreath at the bronze statue of George Enescu, the famed composer whose "Romanian Rhapsody" is known to more people than his name.
But the only hint of politics seeped through when one noticed Iliescu's very American gift for working a crowd. Children were presented to him. And when a few were about as glad to see him as a new pediatrician, he bent down to them or held them aloft. People pressed through the crowd as if he were a pop star or famed athlete.
Nervous American and Romanian security men scanned the crowd and tried not to look like nervous security men. But the people were allowed to come forward.
Dobrea said this is the first Cleveland visit for a Romanian head of state. But he said the visit is historic because the president came to see how they have preserved their own corner of Romania.
But Iliescu was not a head of state yesterday. Nor far from home.
© 2003 The Plain Dealer.
- Romanian President Meets With Powell
- Romanian President Ion Iliescu talks with Secretary Rumsfeld during a working lunch in the Pentagon [f. interesant, poza-problema cu steagurile nu mai exista acolo, vezi mai jos comentariul de la RevistaPresei]
- Secretary Rumsfeld escorts President Ion Iliescu of Romania into the Pentagon
- Romanian President Ion Iliescu presents the "Star of Romania" decoration to Secretary Rumsfeld
- Bush Meets With Romanian President
Tuesday October 28, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Romanian President Ion Iliescu met Monday with Secretary of State Colin Powell at the start of a trip to Washington that also will include a session with President Bush.
Powell thanked Iliescu and the Romanian people for supporting the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In response, the Romanian president praised Powell as ``a real special friend'' of his country. Iliescu said Romania, which has taken a seat on the U.N. Security Council, is playing a role in the fight against terror.
Iliescu presented Powell with the Star of Romania in recognition of friendship between the United States and Romania.
Romania is scheduled to join the NATO alliance in May.
Iliescu, who is in his second term as president, sees Bush and congressional leaders on Tuesday. The Romanian leader also is promoting his new book, ``Integration and Globalization: The Romanian Vision.''
On Sunday, Iliescu visited a Romanian Orthodox Church in Cleveland and chatted with members of the city's Romanian-American community.
Iliescu, 72, was a minister under communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu who changed sides to become one of the key figures in Ceausescu's overthrow and execution in late 1989. His first term, 1990-96, was marred by slow pace of reforms and his role in enlisting miners to crush student protests. But since his re-election in 2000, Romania has moved closer to joining NATO and the European Union.
October 28, 2003
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Bush commended Romanian President Ion Iliescu for his strong leadership Tuesday and thanked him for his cooperation in the war against terror.
The two leaders met privately in the Oval Office before Bush held a news conference in the Rose Garden.
They discussed U.S.-Romanian relations, Romania's economic reforms and cooperation in the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
Romania is scheduled to join the NATO alliance in May.
Iliescu, 72, was a minister under communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu who changed sides to become one of the key figures in Ceausescu's overthrow and execution in late 1989. His first term, 1990-96, was marred by slow pace of reforms and his role in enlisting miners to crush student protests. But since his re-election in 2000, Romania has moved closer to joining NATO and the European Union.
De la PressReview.ro:
- Diplomatic Blunder
Iliescu Gaffe Prompts Self-censorship at Pentagon
Pentagon appeared to have censored its own PR portal. The obvious reason was that an "official" picture depicting Romanian President Ion Iliescu and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during a working lunch showed a Russian flag mistakenly placed beside the American one on the table the two were sitting at.
The picture has been removed from the Pentagon website, DefenseLink. However, a link to the respective page remained on Google, but led to a "sorry, not available" error message.
While most Romanian media report the blunder in today's issues, the website they were referring to as the source of the picture, Defenselink.mil, showed only two other pictures of the meeting between Rumsfeld and Iliescu this week. However, a short "+Iliescu +Rumsfeld" look-up on Google leads to the following links:
Romanian President Ion Iliescu talks with Secretary Rumsfeld ...
... Search News Photos: Romanian President Ion Iliescu talks with
Secretary Rumsfeld during a working lunch in the Pentagon. ...
www.defenselink.mil/photos/Oct2003/ 031027-D-9880W-049.html - 16k - 29 Oct 2003Secretary Rumsfeld escorts President Ion Iliescu of Romania into ...
... Secretary Rumsfeld escorts President Ion Iliescu of Romania into the Pentagon.
Click to view full-size JPEG photo [View JPEG Photo, 1425 KB]. ...
www.defenselink.mil/photos/Oct2003/ 031027-D-9880W-009.html - 16k - 29 Oct 2003While the second works, the first can only show the message: "File not found. We're sorry! The file you requested is not available at this location". The cache memory at Google suggest the image did exist on the website, but was cut. The only "normal" reason to do that is trying to remove the evidence of the Russian flag blunder.
The picture shows the Romanian President flanked by Romanian ForMin Mircea Geoana, and neither seem to bother about the confusion of flags.
President Iliescu's visit to the US this week for official talks on cooperation in various fields of activity, from economy to the war on terror, was presented as a major success for Romania. It didn't seem to matter much for the Bush Administration, which reportedly pays little attention to details such as the one mentioned above.
Romania has a history as a victim of Western confusion: Bucharest has been called Budapest many a time, and ex-President Emil Constantinescu was once called Ceausescu, Adevarul notes in today's issue.
The current Bush Administration has a history of blunders itself. Before the US President left for a visit to Australia recently, his PR officers reportedly submitted travel documentation to journalists accompanying him, in which the Australia capital Canberra was considered a rather dull city, while koala bears were considered a nice souvenir, despite the species being included on the protected list.
Oct. 31 2003
--RevistaPresei.ro
Din The Independent:
- America Flies Flag for Diplomatic Blunders
by Rupert Cornwell in Washington
01 November 2003
Woe betide anyone in America who's not up to snuff on the Stars and Stripes. But apparently when other flags, even those of staunch allies, are the issue, anything goes.
Romanians found a photograph of their President, seen here at the US Justice Department, being received with full honours at the Pentagon in Washington -- with a Russian flag instead of the Romanian one. (AFP/File/Tim Sloan)
For proof, look to the fiasco at a Pentagon lunch in honor of Ion Iliescu, the President of Romania.
The government in Bucharest has sent 800 troops to Iraq and was hailed by George Bush as a stalwart in the war against terror. Romania is due to join NATO next year.
None of that was enough to have prevented Mr Iliescu's table on Monday being adorned, not with his country's red, yellow and blue flag, but with the white, blue and red of Russia, successor to the Soviet Union, the former master of Romania.
Quite how the mistake was made is unclear. Probably some underling in the protocol department confused Romania with Russia, which follows it in an alphabetical list of the world's countries.
But the Romanian press had a field day. "Memories are coming back to haunt me," was the headline in the daily Evenimentul Zilei, above a photo of Mr Iliescu with Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defense Secretary, with the American and Russian flags between them.
The US embassy in Bucharest was contrite, talking of an "unfortunate and embarrassing mistake with no disrespect intended". The Romanians were charitable too: "Neither you nor I know all the flags of the world," a spokesman said.
All of which would be fine - except that America has slipped up before.
In 1992, the national flag of Canada was flown upside down for a World Series baseball game between the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays.
© 2003 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd
Posted by: ruxi at October 31, 2003 03:39 AM
The Romanian flag after the '89 "revolution"
shuld have included the ages old Coat of Arms:
http://draculascastle.com/html/romanianflag.html
Not to mention the fact that it is similar to
the flags of 3 other nations: Andorra, Chad, Moldova.
No wonder the Pentagon got confused.
Pentagon should visit this page every once in a while:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/docs/flagsoftheworld.html
Same country, different agency..:-)