What the Newspapers Say: September 26, 2006

Another strange day ended and echoes still leave people all at sea. Metaphorically and in reality, since the greatest prank of them all was played yesterday by the sailor president, Traian Basescu. Naming an Opposition senator as chief of the Romanian Information Service (SRI), Basescu made the most unexpected move on the political scene. Don’t even dare to try to understand…

A former journalist, Claudiu Saftoiu, is nominated for the first seat in the Foreign Information Service. Not really a surprise: Saftoiu has been close to the president for the past eight years, being on of the key-figures in the electoral campaign and also in the presidential administration.
His background isn’t a surprise either since, as Evenimentul Zilei writes, he is the second journalist in this seat, after Catalin Harnagea.

The big surprise of the day, shocking everyone to the level that they haven’t waken yet: the nominee for the Romanian Information Service is the social democrat senator George Maior, who’s main business until now was to negotiate the installing of American military quarters in Romania.

Choosing Maior came as a shock for everyone, from allied Liberals to Opposition social-democrats. And, of course, Basescu didn’t feel any urge to explain his gesture, stirring massive discontent among Liberals, analysts and journalists.

Late in the evening, Liberals seemed to loosen the jammed jaws and reminded that they would prefer civilians running the information services,
Adevarul reads. Well, they did get it, didn’t they?

But morning came and sun shines upon all alike. At least in Bucharest, hell-like traffic caused by the Francophone Summit made everyone forget about all the fuss and concentrate on how to get to the job without being two hours late.

Not a problem for French president, Jaques Chirac, and Canadian officials, Evenimentul Zilei assures us. Chirac would lead France for a few days from Ceausescu’s “People’s House”, which is about seven or eight times bigger than the entire presidential palace in Paris.

Cannucks already made reservations for some of the finest spaces in the building, so their provinces won’t suffer either.

They seem to enjoy it a lot, since the European Council will confirm January 1st, 2007, as EU accession date for Romania, as Adevarul hasn’t forgot to remind.

Not necessary related in politics, the Summit and the EU accession still have something in common.

After the accession, some of the streets may be shut because of the high level of noise, so that the traffic might be soon permanently chaotic, as it is during the days of the Summit, same Adevarul
fears.

Not a problem for Romanians and even for the authorities. The only problem is that the 2.3 billion euros Romanians spend yearly on alcohol, as Cotidianul found out, would maybe double, or triple, with all the cars blocked on sidewalks.

Fearing the drivers’ road rage, Bucharest Mayor, Adriean Videanu, spends most of his time traveling on public funds, seeing the world from Paris to Beijing, Gandul unveils.

Traffic is about to become a problem in the areas with a large majority formed by the Hungarian minority.

Hungarian ethnics’ officials suggested that their minority members should use as many iconic colors and symbols as possible, including on cars and dogs, according to Gandul. Just imagine the traffic with every driver staring at the red-white-green dogs.

Sep 26, 2006