INTERVIEW

GIVEN BY SIE DIRECTOR GHEORGHE FULGA, Ph.D., TO THE "ADEVĂRUL" DAILY

ON 08 FEBRUARY 2006

“In the SIE the offer is bigger than the demand.”

(At the beginning of this year, the Foreign Intelligence Service has been faced with an unprecedented scandal. One of its former officers appeared in the limelight with several incendiary statements in connection with some cases of corruption within the system. As an answer to this, the SIE has hinted that the respective officer was the representative of some groups of interests that wish to compromise the image of the institution. The Director of the SIE, Gheorghe Fulga, has agreed to give an exclusive interview to Adevărul in which to approach this topic amongst others.)

As Romania is getting closer to join the European Union, will the SIE carry out specific operations in the West?

In cross-services relations, the inherent changes of Romania’s acquiring a new status – as a NATO member and an aspiring EU country with a firm accession agenda – have entailed dissipating any suspicions regarding the honesty of our partnership with the Western bodies. For the decision-makers of these states, nothing of the conduct of the current Foreign Intelligence Service of Romania makes one think of the mentality of the former Securitate and the rivalries specific to the Cold War. The contacts with the counterparts in the Euro-Atlantic countries, both at the leadership and experts level, are dynamic and strong, and their agenda is more and more specialised, which  reflects our present joint concerns.

Which are the main external factors that pose risks to Romania’s security?
Without overlooking the conventional or political-strategic challenges, we need to refer to the dynamics of the new types of transnational threats: terrorism, organised crime, illegal migration, failed states or entities with a democratic deficit. Most of them have a high degree of unpredictability, manifest themselves separately or in connection and, depending on the peculiarities of the various areas, tend to exploit some of the vulnerabilities or lack of local action, thus increasing the risks posed to the security.

How did the Service integrate itself in the Intelligence Community?
The SIE is part and parcel of the National Intelligence Community (CNI) and is one of its main organic components. That is why one of the Service’s concerns is rendering the Integrated Intelligence Office operational, by relations with the other components of the Community which will lead to eliminating parallelisms and facilitate a more coherent distribution of the human, financial and logistic resources. Moreover, we are working with the other members of the CNI to articulate the work programmes in a unitary manner, so that we could all provide the decision-makers with good quality information and integrated analyses in order to set the bases of the best national security policies.

An officer needs to meet certain conditions, bearing in mind the sensitivity of the espionage activity. Where does the SIE get its personnel from? Have you also had failures?
Let me first make a short remark. The essence of our activity is no longer the one we had in the Cold War. That is why I would like you to regard the SIE’s activity in terms of intelligence, which can no longer be reduced to espionage. The Service’s new missions are much different from those 15 years ago, and in order to conduct them well we need to have the best specialists, both in field activities and analysis.
Wishing to lend a hand to all those who feel they are able to add value and serve Romania, we have initiated an on-line programme of receiving job applications.
We have been pleasantly surprised by the multitude of applications submitted so far. There are many who aspire to become SIE employees but only those who really have a calling for this field manage to get the necessary score in the multiple and painstaking tests. For instance, I can say that we only consider the applicants who, besides discretion and a flawless conduct, have graduated from university with a high grade, have communication skills and know at least one foreign language very well.
Equally important are the ability to make efforts under pressure and the physical and mental stamina. Although some may have forgotten about it, patriotism is still a major landmark for us in assessing the candidates. These are only some of the conditions to meet.

Former colonel Ionel Dragomir has recently come out in the limelight with incendiary statements. This is new for the SIE. Will this affect the Service’s image in any way?
This is not new for Romania, as events of this kind have happened both here and abroad. But I think you have used the right phrase that gives one the image of a show, of appearance in the spotlight. This ‘display’ might meet this individual’s certain needs, whereas for our institution it is not desirable. I don’t want to concede more time than we should to convince anybody about the rightfulness of the demarche of the Service, both in juridical and moral terms. I trust the fairness of the procedure.

How can such reactions by the former intelligence employees be prevented? I do not refer only to Romania, but generally speaking. Once retired, leaving the system, can they seriously harm the system?
They can only be prevented by the responsible and individual commitment to the tasks incumbent upon a former and current intelligence officer. It is, so to speak, an exercise in honour and honesty, two of the pillars of a man’s real value. I do believe that, more often than not, the reactions you have been talking about come from the ones who missed the satisfaction of a thing that is well done.

There are some commitments that each and every of us make both when joining and leaving the Service, irrespective of the motivations underpinning these decisions. In such moments we experience strong, often positive, feelings.

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