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Romania pleads for the European dimension of francophonie

Diplomatic row with Lebanon overshadows start of Summit. Romania however hopes to renew the political dialogue with Beirut.

Bucharest ? President Basescu and PM Tariceanu opened, yesterday morning, at Parliament Palace, the works of the Francophonie Summit, amid a diplomatic row with Lebanon sparked by Bucharest?s decision to invite Prime Minister Siniora instead of President Emil Lahoud.

Within the opening session, floor was given to the Secretary General of the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF), Abdou Diouf, to the guest of honour, the President of France, Jacques Chirac, to President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore, whose country held until yesterday the presidency of the Summit, to the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso and to the heads of the delegations of Canada, Laos, Seychelles, Haiti and Morocco. For one day, President Basescu actually moved to Parliament Palace, where together with his wife Maria, welcomed all the official delegations.After the official opening, Basescu participated in a luncheon offered by the OIF Secretary General, and then he had several bilateral meetings in Parliament Palace as well.

It was not by chance that Basescu started the series of meetings with receiving Tareq Mitri, Minister of Culture of Lebanon.

His participation in the Summit was decided by PM Fouad Siniora at the last minute, because of the diplomatic scandal sparked by Bucharest, who decided not to invite President Emil Lahoud. The Lebanese President lashed out against Romania yesterday accusing President Basescu to do ?what Chirac tells him to do?.

In his dialogue with Tareq Mitri, President Basescu expressed his appreciation for the presence of an official representative of Lebanon to Bucharest and the hope that, with the consolidation of the stability in Lebanon, the political dialogue will be resumed between the two countries. President Basescu also transmitted to the representative of the Lebanese Government the confirmation of the political will that Romania participate to the reconstruction of Lebanon, reads a press release of the Presidency.

The President had also official talks with Abdoulaye Wade, President of Republic of Senegal, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Blaise Compaore, President of Burkina Faso, Koïchiro Matsuura, UNESCO director general and Jean Charest, the Prime Minister of Quebec.

Festive opening

?Welcome to Bucharest?, the head of state wished to the 63 official delegations present at the opening of the Summit. Basescu managed, despite his poor French, to say ?it is an honour for Romania to be Europe?s first country, aside from France, to play host for this top level conference?.

His short speech also served the purpose to introduce Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu, who addressed the audience in faultless French.

Tariceanu: Francophonie identity in Europe

?Romania wants to be a voice of Francophonie in the European Union and, at the same time, a voice of Europe within Francophonie,? Premier Tariceanu said. He pleaded for the European dimension of the Francophonie being capitalised on, given that, from 2007, the EU will include 14 OIF states. Also, the PM announced that his cabinet will financially support the opening of a Francophone University in Bucharest.

Chirac pleads for cultural diversity

France?s president, Jacques Chirac, thanked Romanian authorities for the reception offered to participating states, saying it is for the first time that a Summit of the Francophonie is held in this part of the European continent, which is ?reconciled, at last?. Chirac sees Francophonie as one of the solutions for modern societies to avoid losing their identities, a risk faced by all states. ?The dialogue of cultures has peace and the future of the European Union as its stake,? France?s president said, adding that Francophonie is a way that for half a century has proved able to ensure dialogue between cultures. Also, Chirac mentioned that peace is of essence for both the global and the Francophone world, outlining that discord and the propagation of the conflict in Lebanon should not be condoned, but dialogue and negotiation should be favoured. He also said there are many examples showing that democracy is a solution for the societies grappling with political crises, given the African states as example.

Diouf speaks of lack-of-education dramas

Outlining that the role of information technology in education is the main focus of the Francophonie Summit in Bucharest, the OIF Secretary General, Abdou Diouf, said that sustainable peace is unimaginable without strengthening and modernising education systems. ?One hundred and twenty million children worldwide cannot go to school, one-third of whom are from Sub-Saharan Africa. This situation is a drama for humanity, is unacceptable and dangerous,? Diouf said.

Diouf concluded his speech with a homage to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, that is due to complete his term at the end of this year.

Among the heads of state and government at the Summit, Belgium?s premier, Guy Verhofstadt, the president of Bulgaria, Gheorghi Parvanov, the Swiss president, Moritz Leuenberger, Canadian PM, Stephen Harper, Albania?s prime minister, Sali Berisha, the premier of Andorra, Albert Pintat Santolaria. The majority of the African countries members of OIF are also represented at the summit. The president of the Republic of Moldova, Vladimir Voronin, refused to attend the summit, and sent the speaker of Parliament to Bucharest instead.

Former heads of state and government, the former foreign ministers of Romania after 1989, along with members of Romania?s royal families, also take part in the summit.

President Basescu was due to host at Cotroceni Palace yesterday evening a state dinner in honour of the heads of state and government participating in the Francophone Summit.

The wives of the Francophone leaders in Bucharest have not been forgotten either. After the lunch offered by Maria Basescu, they had a meeting with Romanian sports champions, at the Honourable Council of Romanian Sports, followed by another one with pupils and teachers at the Central School in Bucharest.