Wikileaks - CCCLXXXIX

72132 7/21/2006 10:21 06BUCHAREST1161 Embassy Bucharest CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXRO7318 RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHBM #1161 2021021 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 211021Z JUL 06 FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4843 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 2196 C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 001161

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - WILLIAM SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2016 TAGS: PREL, PGOV, RO SUBJECT: ROMANIA ADVOCATES BALANCED APPROACH TOWARD CRISIS IN LEBANON - CEASEFIRE BASED ON DISARMING HEZBOLLAH

Classified By: DCM Mark Taplin for Reasons 1.4 B and D

1. (C) Summary: President Basescu publicly called for the international community to end the human tragedy in Lebanon by enforcing UN Security Council Resolutions aimed at disarming and disbanding Hezbollah. MFA officials assure Romania's balanced approach to the crisis, citing close contact with Israel. The evacuation of Romanians from Lebanon is going well, but Romania may ask for U.S. help evacuating stragglers should the need arise. End Summary.

2. (C) In a press conference dedicated to the conflict in Lebanon, Romanian President Traian Basescu on July 19 called on the UN Security Council "to come up with a solution to put an end to the human tragedy in Lebanon and Israel." He stressed that the "international community was not able to properly enforce two of the resolutions issued by the UN Security Council that clearly stated that guerrillas must be disarmed and that all those who illegally sell weapons to military factions must be stopped and punished."

3. (C) In a July 20 meeting, MFA Director General for Global Affairs Stelian Stoian informed PolOff that Romania seeks a ceasefire and comprehensive solution according to UNSCR 1559, requiring both disarming and disbanding. He said that only "a ceasefire now would be unbalanced" since "next time the other side would just start again." Stoian commented that Romania enjoys "very good bilateral relations with Israel." He said Foreign Minister Razvan Mihai Ungureanu discussed the situation with the Israeli Foreign Minister on July 19, cautioning that the "risk for Israel" is the "perception that Israel is guilty for a humanitarian crisis due to a disproportionate response." He said this could be a problem in Europe. Stoian did not believe Romania's "balanced approach" to the crisis in Lebanon would change in favor of a ceasefire alone.

4. (C) Stoian has been involved in the evacuations from Lebanon, along with the MFA Consular team, and in frequent contact with the Romanian Ambassador in Beirut. Though this meeting was not focused on the Lebanese situation, Stoian mentioned at the end that the GOR would consider requesting assistance from the U.S. in evacuating Romanians should additional citizens appear in small numbers at a later date. He stressed that the comment was highly theoretical at this point, and that Romania would only look to its allies as an ad hoc solution should the stragglers appear in such small numbers as to make a Romanian operation unfeasible.

5. (U) Amembassy Bucharest's reporting telegrams are available on the SIPRNet website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/bucharest TAUBMAN