Leaked Austrian Diplomacy Briefing Flashes Unofficial Stance

The document mentioned is a brief prepared for the visit of the Austrian foreign affairs minister in Romania.

 

The document mentions in the chapter called "Romania’s Candidacy", with the marking "WINKLER/II.5/3949" and the note "DIVERGENZ", that Romania is running for a position in the Human Rights Council (2011-2014) as well as for a temporary membership in the UN Security Council for the interval 2020-2021.

 

There are wide differences between what the minister is told to communicate and the country’s background stance.

 

The document notes that Romania is running against Estonia for a seat in the UN Security Council reserved for eastern European countries, between 2020 and 2021, and Austria cannot support Romania’s candidacy, since it has concluded a mutual support agreement with Estonia.

 

In addition, the document shows that “Romania is running for a position in the Human Rights Council, but this candidacy cannot be supported since there are other agreements with Georgia and the Czech Republic."

 

The document states this stance should not be transmitted to Romania right away and goes on reading that Romania has presented Austria with an offer for mutual support in the Human Rights Council, and Austria is trying to obtain Romania’s support.

 

On the other hand, the same document shows that in its turn Austria is running for the right to host the International Renewable Energy Agency headquarters, an agency whose creation it has actively supported, and a decision will be made in June 2009.

 

In other matters, the document shows that Romanian president Traian Basescu has applied great pressure for justice reform and called to him all people in charge on this segment, demanding, among other things, (former prime minister and current graft case defendant) “Nastase’s head”.

 

The document does not specify the source for the information included in the briefing.

 

The chapter including the fight against corruption amply mentions the report of the European Commission, published on February 12.

 

The document contains an evaluation with non-updated elements of the “Nastase case” stating: “one of the most high profile cases – former prime minister Adrian Nastase will probably be sent to justice by the Chamber of Deputies, whose member he is. This would be the third attempt by special anticorruption prosecutors to lift his immunity. The latest attempt failed in August 2008. And to lift his immunity, all is needed now is a simple majority in a plenary meeting."

 

The briefing also contains a section called "On the enactment of necessary laws," where it reads that "President Basescu applied great pressure and called everyone in charge to the Presidential Palace. He demanded a political decision regarding the Codes discussed, the employment of prosecutors and judges in the positions included in the budget, who were vacant, and the head of former prime minister Nastase."

 

The Austrian Embassy to Bucharest issued a press release stating the materials published by media were compiled by clerks, “they reflect talks in Romanian media and society referring the fight against corruption and they do not, under any circumstances, represent an official stance.”

 

"The theme of corruption was not approached in the meeting between the two ministers,” the embassy writes.

 

Romanian foreign affairs minister Cristian Diaconescu said Wednesday that in the meeting he held with his Austrian counterpart there was no talk of Adrian Nastase, adding he will not comment on the document regarding the minister’s visit in Bucharest, since this is not an officially obtained document and it cannot be verified.