PRESS STATEMENT BY MR. ION ILIESCU, PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA, FOLLOWING THE SIE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

- february 13, 2004 -

Today’s meeting was twofold: first of all, it has been 14 years since the setting up of the Foreign Intelligence Service, in the new context embraced by the Romanian society – it was in the CPUN’s time. We consider that, during its 14 years of activity, the SIE has focused on what was essential to the functions of such a modern service in a democratic society and for our international relations.

We appreciate the partnership that has been established and developing with the European and Euro-Atlantic structures, the bilateral partnership with the member states of these structures, as well as the relationships forged in the region that we live in.

Secondly, we have appreciated this activity throughout the past year, which was a rich one from this perspective, in general in our domestic and foreign political activity, and also with regard to the adjustment of the services, particularly of the SIE, to the goals set for 2004. This year is vital from two points of view: on the one hand, in 2004, one of the strategic objectives will be achieved – Romania’s de facto and de jure integration into NATO, and, on the other hand, it is the decisive year for concluding the negotiations with the European Union and for preparing our 2007 accession. In this respect, a specific mission has been assigned to the Foreign Intelligence Service.

We have been able to notice that our partners are appreciative at the training, development and streamlining of our services, the SIE included, and the importance of this partnership in the sphere of the services and for the efforts aimed at our NATO and EU accession.

We have also had an opinion exchange with the management of the Service vis-à-vis its working agenda, in which an important point is finalizing the talks held within the CSAT (the Country’s Supreme Defence Council) on the modernization of the two services in particular - but the SIE will probably make the first step in this direction to streamline its structures, and get demilitarized -, so that our intelligence services will get fully compatible with the similar structures in the European and Euro-Atlantic realm. 

From this viewpoint, I availed myself of the opportunity in order to extend my appreciations to the SIE management and command staff in the apparatus of the Service, for the way in which the entire SIE personnel have been preparing and adjusting to the modernization process of the institution.  

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