Traian Basescu, the Romanian president, yesterday said a defence ministry proposal to withdraw its troops from Iraq was "unacceptable". Calin Tariceanu, the prime minister, backed the plan to withdraw Romania's 890 troops from Iraq by the end of this year on the grounds that the mission was too costly. The proposal needs to be approved by the ten-member supreme defence council, which is headed by Mr Basescu, and by parliament. The Iraq mission is unpopular with many people in the poor former-communist country, which hopes to enter the European Union next year. "The president considers as unacceptable the way the prime minister and the defence minister presented their opinions about the Romanian military presence in Iraq," Mr Basescu said. "Any decision about the national security issues should be taken after preliminary consultations among the Romanian state institutions and with our foreign partners."
| Thank you, Romania. Their US embassy is here. Original press release here.I bet they'd appreciate a letter or three. |