BOARD RULES THAT ROMANIAN PRESIDENT DID NOT MAKE RACIAL SLUR ABOUT ARMENIANS
International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press
Oct 15 2007
France
BUCHAREST, Romania: Romania’s anti-discrimination board concluded
Monday that remarks made by President Traian Basescu last month were
not considered defamatory to the Armenian community.
Basescu, who underwent surgery in September on his thyroid gland,
had thanked doctors at a Bucharest hospital, especially the surgeon,
by saying: "At last I see a kind Armenian, a competent Armenian."
The National Council for the Fight against Discrimination said in a
statement that the remarks "were of a political nature."
The statement was directed at a political rival, Economy Minister
Varujan Vosganian, who is an ethnic Armenian and a member of the
governing Liberal Party. At the time, Vosganian had accused Basescu
of being "a risk for democracy."
Romania’s politicians from all parties have been embroiled in bitter
political disputes for years, especially with the popular president,
after no party managed to secure a majority in 2004 parliamentary
elections.
Basescu’s office said Tuesday that his remarks had intended to
highlight the professionalism of the surgeon who operated on him and
praised ethnic Armenians "for the extraordinary contribution that the
Armenian community has made for years in the cultural and scientific
life of Romania."
Romania has a few thousand ethnic Armenians – many of whose ancestors
emigrated to the country 1,000 years ago – and they are well-integrated
into society.