THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

- THE PRESS OFFICE -

On 3 December 2002, Mr. Ion Iliescu, the President of Romania, met with the High Command of the Foreign Intelligence Service at SIE’s Headquarters. On this occasion, it was analysed SIE’s role and responsibilities in the process of Romania’s accession to NATO.

At the end of the talks, a meeting took place with the mass media representatives, on which occasion the Head-of-State made a declaration for the press and also answered the questions of news people.

THE STATEMENT BY MR. ION ILIESCU,

PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA

Both at the latest meeting with the high command of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and today, here, with the high command of the Foreign Intelligence Service, we have sought to make an analysis of the activity unfolded by the two Services so far.

Our country finds itself at an important historical moment which changes some elements of current issues and entails new responsibilities and adjustments of the state institutions to the new statute that Romania has gained as a potentially future member of the Alliance. However, in itself, this moment of our country’s NATO induction constitutes already a first step of this process and we have talked about the conclusions that have to be drawn and the measures that need to be taken in the strategic thinking of SIE’s activity.

First, we have appreciated that, throughout these efforts that Romania has made in the last few years in order to follow these strategic objectives - integration into the EU and NATO - the role of the Secret Services has been very important and this period of Partnership for Peace has also meant a period of experience accumulated through the contacts between the Romanian intelligence services and the counterpart Services of the NATO member countries, of the NATO structures as such.

I had even the pleasure, during several meetings I had both with policy makers and representatives of the services of the specialised NATO structures, of receiving positive appreciations about the way in which the Romanian Secret Services – the SIE and SRI – have cooperated throughout this period. There is a useful experience for everything that is to follow. This experience has to be deepened at present, and it has to be based on ever more solid partnership.

Also, the position held by Romania within the Alliance, as its most eastward frontpost – something that President Bush also highlighted during his visit to Bucharest – our position in this geographical space, European – Centre – South, the relations with the Black Sea area, the Caucasus, the Caspian, Russia, Ukraine, the area of the Middle East, render Romania a certain responsibility and a certain role, a certain position, which we must know how to make best use of also in our co-working with our partners and in promoting our interests in all fields – political, economic, human, a.s.o.

We have several common specific objectives: the fight against terrorism and against cross-border criminality.

Our area has become, from this point of view, special and fragile, due to the fact that it is a transit area, in which such phenomena acquire certain dimensions.

This mission devolves upon us not only for our interest to protect ourselves against such phenomena, but also in the joint action for the whole Euro-Atlantic space. Therefore, it is an extra responsibility that we have to figure out as it should; likewise, are the pursuit of our economic interests, let’s say, of our country’s interests, the cementing our relations with the EU space, but also with the neighbourhood area, the revitalization of some activities, and from this point of view, the role of intelligence information as an element of judgement for the decisions we make is very important.

All that entails a rethinking of the strategic objectives, of the structures and adjustments of our Services, of their orientation, human structures, necessary qualifications, and the staff engaged in meeting these commandments.

All these issues have been the substance matter of a dialogue with the high command of the Foreign Intelligence Service. It will be followed by the drafting of the corresponding documents which will be also analysed at the CSAT level, regarding the activity that has to be carried out in the coming period. It is, first of all, the next coming interval – of a year, a year and a half, in order to finalize this process with our NATO induction being ratified by the Parliaments of the member states, but also on the whole, our common activity within the framework of this new statute we have, and also within the strengthened partnership that should follow for everything we have underscored as goals in the period to come. Thank you.

*

Question:    You have mentioned the ratification of Romania’s joining NATO. Madam Madeleine Albright said, during her visit to Romania, that the presence of the former Securitate officers in the intelligence structures might pose a problem when this issue was going to be discussed in the American Senate. The question is how you see this problem solved and if it really is a problem now.

Answer: It is a problem that has concerned and still concerns us but we must clarify it individually, not with the whole, I mean in this way that some approach in a “cadres-like” way, like in the old times.

I was a director at the “Technical Publishing House” and I received a list of people I had to dismiss from the “Technical Publishing House”, because one’s father had done who-knows-what, that another one, when he was young, criticised the communist regime, that another one’s brothers were abroad and so forth.

So, to place people in all kinds of blameable categories and take measures accordingly means to go back to mentalities that we have surpassed.  Each man is responsible for his/her own life, destiny and must be judged for his/her actions, for what he/she represents, inclusively considered in his/her development because, otherwise, all the Romanian society lived in a certain situation, in a certain framework, in a certain system. Then everybody would be blameable. But it was these people, from Romania, who made the Romanian Revolution. It wasn’t others who came to change the structures in the Romanian society. We did it, with our people, and we must judge them through what each of them represents, has done and does and what each of them represents as a human value. As for the ones who did things they must answer for, this is another issue.

Question: Mister President, you said you agreed on the conclusions and the measures that were to be taken. What did you mean? What concrete measures will be taken?

Answer: I underscored the problems we have discussed. All these will materialize in a strategy to adapt SIE to the new period and the goals it has.

Question: Mister President, in a synthetic sentence, what does our joining NATO change in the activity of the intelligence services?

Answer: Very much.

Question: Which is the red thread of this strategy you were talking about?

Answer: We are going to become members of the Alliance. We are partners as allies. So, we have a completely different statute and we judge differently, inclusively the activity of our state institutions and special services. It is one thing the outside partner and it is another one the ally from inside, in all the judgements, in all the actions.

Question: Shall we understand that the priorities of the intelligence services have been changed? Are they the same as until now? Is there another top priority that the intelligence services have?

Answer: Everything comes from this new statute, this new quality that the country is getting. From here, you can all draw conclusions.

Back