Agence France Presse — English
October 27, 2006 Friday 4:44 PM GMT
Varujan Vosganian: a liberal economist and target of embarrassing claims
BUCHAREST, Oct 27 2006
Liberal senator Varujan Vosganian, a noted economist nominated as
Romania’s first European commissioner, has become the target of
accusations linking him to the far-right and the Communist-era secret
services.
Friendly and well-read, the balding 48-year-old Vosganian, who
graduated from the Economic Institute and Faculty of Mathematics and
is the author of several volumes on economics and poetry, always
backed Romania’s entry into the European Union.
Vosganian, who hails from the Armenian minority and speaks fluent
English and French, had until now been spared by the press, which
usually thrives on "incendiary" revelations about Romanian
politicians.
But his nomination for the post of European commissioner has
generated a wave of attacks against him, ranging from close ties with
the far-right to collaboration with the Communist-era secret police,
the Securitate.
A Bucharest daily said Friday the senator was a member of Rost, a
movement that promotes "Christian and national values," much like the
far-right and anti-Semitic Iron Guard did in the 1930s.
But speaking with AFP, Rost president Caludiu Tarziu denied any link
to far-right extremists, saying the organisation favoured "classic
conservatism."
The media also accused the senator of ties with a scandal-hit
businessman, Sorin Ovidiu Vantu. Vosganian has admitted his small
right-wing party received funds from Vantu in the 1990s but said
there was "nothing illegal," as all the money was declared to the
state audit court.
On Friday, comments by a former Securitate official were published,
saying Vosganian had been recruited by counter-intelligence while he
worked at a brewery.
"It is absurd to think an accountant who never left Romania before
1990 was recruited by a foreign intelligence service," the senator
said, adding "I never had any link with the Securitate."
Several politicians, led by liberal Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu,
defended Vosganian, saying he was the victim of a smear campaign
orchestrated by his political opponents or the secret service.
Calling the allegations "speculations" and "affabulation," Tariceanu
urged President Traian Basescu to "support this candidature" for the
post of European commissioner.
Vosganian’s nomination had been the subject of tense negotiations
between Tariceanu and Basescu, who have been at odds for months.
Sources close to the two men have said the president only agreed to
the nomination in exchange for Defence Minister Teodor Atanasiu’s
resignation following a row over the issue of Romanian troops in
Iraq.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
