Victor Roncea Blog

Dear Mr. Alfon,

I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the publication, on November 2, 2008 in Haaretz, of an article regarding Romania, under the title “The state Romania’s president forgot” (“Anti-Semitism is alive and kicking in Romania” in the on-line edition).

Accusing President Traian Băsescu and the entire Romanian people of Anti-Semitism is totally unwarranted and misleading. The recent desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Bucharest is a very serious incident which is treated as such by the Romanian authorities. The President of Romania, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice expressed their outrage about this criminal act and conveyed their solidarity with the representatives of the Jewish Community in Bucharest. Such an appalling act does not reflect in any way the good relations and the feelings of respect and friendship that Romanian citizens have towards the members of the Jewish communities in Romania. The authorities are investigating this incident and we trust that the perpetrators of this sacrilege will be caught and brought to justice. The Ministry of Interior has expressed its full support to the Federation of the Jewish Communities in Romania and gave assurance of their cooperation for the prevention of any such crimes in the future.

As you may know, Romania was actively involved in the last few years in a very serious effort of coming to terms with the past and promoting Holocaust awareness. Following the work of the Commission for the Study of Holocaust in Romania, headed by Prof. Elie Wiesel, we established an annual commemoration day for the Holocaust and an Institute for Holocaust Studies, we introduced Holocaust education in the national curricula, we joined the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research and a Holocaust Memorial is under construction in Bucharest. Romania has also been very active in combating Anti-Semitism, as we strongly supported the OSCE Conferences on Combating Anti-Semitism and we were hosts to such a ministerial level meeting, in 2007, in Bucharest. Just as recent as last month, Romania initiated and hosted another important regional meeting on combating Anti-Semitism, at expert level.

As far as the statement of President Băsescu is concerned, the quotation was taken out the context and is incomplete. In fact, President Băsescu did mention Israel and the ongoing negotiations with Syria in that statement, just a couple of paragraphs below. Furthermore, insulting an elected head of a democratic state is hardly the best way to get your message across and is beneath the high professional standards and reputation of Haaretz.

I would like to use this opportunity to assure you that the Embassy and I are available to you and your editorial staff regarding information or clarification on any issue related to Romania.

Sincerely yours,

Edward Iosiper
Ambassador of Romania

Vezi si ZIUA: “Haaretz” este pus la punct de MAE