U.S. Vice President Joe Biden thanked Romania's President Traian Basescu for "embracing" the new proposal for missile defense system

BUCHAREST, Romania — A U.S. army official in Romania says an American military base near the Black Sea port of Constanta will become a permanent facility in the spring and be jointly used with Romanian forces, AP reported yesterday.

Lt. Col. Daniel Herrigstad says the U.S. government invested $48 million to modernize the base.

Herrigstad told the news agency Agerpres on Friday that the base would initially host up to 1,700 U.S. and Romanian soldiers.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Romania on Thursday to discuss the new missile defense system, and thanked Romania's President Traian Basescu for "embracing" the new proposal.

It is unclear what role, if any, Romania will play in the revamped U.S. missile shield.

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Romanian President Traian Basescu hosted a meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in Bucharest. The talks focused on the revamped missile defense system unveiled by Washington last month. On October 22, Biden praised Romania for accepting the new arrangements.

[Joe Biden, U.S. Vice President]:
"I really appreciate your embrace, your government's embrace of the new missile defense architecture that we are introducing into Europe. There is the SM-3... will replace what was originally going to be intended to provide for security. But it will in fact... it is a much better architecture. It has the benefit of protecting Europe physically as well as the United States. And I must tell you I appreciate your almost instant embrace of this new architecture. As well as was embraced by our colleagues in Poland and others. As people look at this... you understood from the beginning, that this makes more sense."

The revamped missile defense system is superior to a previous version that had caused friction with Russia.

Eastern European nations are still getting used to U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to scrap Bush-era plans.

But Russia strongly opposed the new plans, fearing they would neutralize its own nuclear arsenal.

Obama plans to roll out sea-based interceptors first, followed by land-based systems. Under this arrangement, Poland could host SM-3 interceptors targeting short and medium-range missiles.

PRAVDA: "USA Prepares to Attack Russia in 3 or 4 Years?"

(23.10.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru)

US army bases will appear on the Black Sea Coast – in Bulgaria and Romania. About $50 million will be assigned to build the base in Romania, and the Pentagon plans to spend $60 million more for the same purpose in Bulgaria.

The Romanian base is expected to be put in operation in 2010, whereas the second one will most likely be launched in 2011 or 2012. Over 4,000 US military men are expected to serve at the two bases: 1,600 in Romania and 2,500 in Bulgaria. The authorities of the two nations expect that the US military men will settle there for a long time.

Col. Gary Russ, commander of Joint Task Force-East, sad that no one in Bulgaria and Romania had anything against the US military presence in the two countries. Vice President Joseph Biden, who recently visited several countries of Eastern Europe, including Romania, stated that the European nation supported a new configuration of the US missile defense system.

It is not ruled out that elements of the US missile defense system may eventually appear in Eastern Europe. US officials say that the appearance of army bases in Bulgaria and Romania strictly corresponds to the plans of the US administration to relocate troops in foreign countries (George W. Bush announced the plans in 2004).

It goes about the Pentagon’s intention to cut its 55,000-strong group in Germany and redeploy a part of the troops in several countries of Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria and Romania.

Alexander Khramchikhin, deputy director of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis, said in an interview with Pravda.Ru that the plans of the United States to build army bases in Romania and Bulgaria were exposed nearly a decade ago.

“Indeed, the Americans need more bases for their actions in the Middle East. They have bases in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but they are not enough to satisfy all of Washington’s needs. The Pentagon needs new bases in Eastern Europe to maintain its troops in the Middle East,” the expert said.

Another expert, Konstantin Sivkov, told Pravda.Ru that the appearance of new army bases in Bulgaria and Romania would pose a threat to Russian interests.

“The number of US military men at the two bases is not going to be large, but who can say that it will not be doubled, tripped or quadrupled in the future? Furthermore, the appearance of NATO bases on the Black Sea coast will come as an addition to the US military objects in the Baltic region. As a result, Russia will find itself trapped.

“Why does the USA need these two bases on the Black Sea? To struggle against terrorism? This explanation does not withstand any criticism. There are nearly 4,000 kilometers between Romania and the Middle East. This distance is too large for the nation to maintain its groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“One should bear in mind the fact that the Americans started withdrawing their troops from Iraq. Therefore, there is no need to strengthen the infrastructure. To crown it all, American army bases in the Middle East are plentiful.

“I would also like to pay your attention to the fact that the US Military Academy at West Point has recently launched extensive courses to study the Russian culture and language. They started teaching the Iraqi culture and the Arab language three years before invading Iraq.

“Washington is also interested in the energy sources of the Caspian Sea. The bases will probably be established in Romania and Bulgaria to secure the transportation of the Caspian oil and gas,” the expert concluded.

Sergey Balmasov

Bucharest: US VP Warns Europe of Missile Threats

US Vice President Joe Biden and Romania’s President Traian Basescu – at Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, Romania, 22 Oct 2009

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has called on America's European allies to step-up their defense efforts in the face of security threats from outside Europe. Biden made the comments in Bucharest, Romania on Thursday, before ending his Central and Eastern European tour in the Czech Republic.

Biden spoke to political leaders and students at Bucharest's Central University Library, after receiving assurances from Romanian President Traian Basescu that Romania supports plans by the Obama administration to revise missile defense plans for Europe amid new concerns over the continent's security.

The system will replace the one proposed by former President George W. Bush. The Bush plan, which Russia strongly opposed, would have placed 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic to intercept long-range missiles from such states as Iran.

Although the revised plan involves anti-ballistic missiles installed at a former air base in Poland, defense experts say Moscow perceives the new project as less threatening to its security.

Biden said the defense system comes as Europe faces a serious threat. "Today, a new major threat is growing that could reach all our European allies well before it reaches the United States. It comes from ballistic missiles -- short-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. The technology has spread to many new countries and less stable countries since the end of the Cold War," he said.

Biden stressed that the new missile defense system would provide more security for the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. "We are determined to ensure that our NATO allies have the protection they need, when they need it because that is our solemn obligation under Article 5. Our missile defense plan means greater security for Europe and greater security for America," he said.

His one-day visit to Bucharest was part of a trip through Eastern Europe intended to reassure Romania, Poland and the Czech Republic that America's commitment to the region remains strong.

The three countries are viewed as close U.S. allies. Romania hosts a small American base and training facilities.

Biden also expressed concerns about energy. He said the United States wanted to work with Europe on a new strategy that would provide energy security for the future. "One lesson we need to work together toward is a more secure energy future. We need sustainable energy security that includes diversification of supplies and transit routes," he said.

Energy has become a major concern in several Western countries, after a dispute between Ukraine and Russia over prices led to major natural gas shortages in Europe earlier this year.

Biden's trip to Eastern Europe comes as the region commemorates the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism.

The vice president said that the world watched in awe and admiration in 1989 as the men and women across the region broke the shackles of repression and emerged as free people.

Traian Basescu ready to run for a second term as Romania’s president

Romania’s president, Traian Basescu, today announced that he will submit his candidacy for the presidential election. He thanked Democrat-Liberal Party (PD-L) members for their support and said them he’s confident he would win the coming polls.

President Basescu added the he will no longer summon the opposition political parties for consolations as for nominating Romania's PM and said that the true reason for dismissing the Boc Government – following a no-confidence vote -- was the senators and deputies' wish to avoid a referendum for a single-chambered Parliament.

"I will write it back at them", was President Basescu's reaction after the opposition MPs voted in favour of supporting Klaus Johannis, Sibiu's mayor, for the premiership on Wednesday morning. The Liberal-Democrats (who still run the interim Cabinet) gathered on Wednesday morning, after 10 a.m. for a Managing Council meeting. President Traian Basescu took part as well. PD-L is the only party to have announced its support for Lucian Croitoru as Romania's future PM.

"We have the urgent need to attract the 3.5 million euros missing from the budget in November and December", Basescu added, insisting that the political crisis needed a quick solution.

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Earlier, this month, EPP’s President Joseph Daul said: “a courage government as the Boc government should have been maintained”

A courageous government such as the Boc government should have been maintained, European Popular Party President Joseph Daul declared. Referring to the Romanian political climate, Daul said that the executive lead by Emil Boc proved its courage and has positive reviews, at a difficult time for Romania.

Boc's government launched the state's reform, maintained Romania's economic stability and balanced the state's salary system and budgetary pensions, Daul said. He added that the pensions law was received with hostility by those priviledged, directly affected by it.

EPP President declared that he is convinced that such a courageous government should have been maintained because it is the only way reforms can move forward to modernize Romania and protect the population.

Daul expressed his regret that the government was dismised. The EPP group is the biggest political group in the European Parliament with 265 members.