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| Romania and the Terrorist Threat |
| (2012-10-08) |
| Last updated: 2012-10-08 14:22 EET |
Romania is a legitimate target for terrorists, warned in an interview to a Sofia-based daily sheikh Omar Bakri, whose name is linked to the July attack in the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Burgas, in which 5 Israeli tourists were killed and tens of people wounded. Bakri argues that Romania and Bulgaria were involved in the war in Afghanistan and that both are Islamic lands, just like other states in Eastern Europe such as Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Bosnia. These aggressive statements were not without response from the authorities in Bucharest. Romania is not safe from the terrorist threat, said the director of the Romanian Intelligence Service George Maior.
He told a local TV channel that Romania is on the map of terrorist organisations as a possible target because of its presence in Afghanistan and its hosting parts of the US missile defence system. Omar Bakri had come under the scrutiny of the Romanian Intelligence Service in the past, he has tried to enter the country and has connections with Romania, said Maior. He added that, as far as the terrorist threat is concerned, Romania is in the same situation as other European states, citing the incidents in the last few years in Bulgaria, France and Norway.
Following the threats of the radical sheikh, who was forced to leave Britain after the 2004 attacks in London and who now lives in northern Lebanon, the Romanian Foreign Intelligence chief Teodor Melescanu has given assurances that the Romanian secret services are keeping a close eye on the activities going on in the areas that could pose a threat. Although he described Bakri as being rather an ideologist than a man of action, Teodor Melescanu says such threats are still a reason for concern. He mentioned some of the reasons why Romanians should not see their country as safe from terrorist attacks such as Romania’s NATO and European Union membership, the existence of US bases on Romanian territory and the large number of Israeli tourists.
For his part, the Romanian foreign minister Titus Corlatean emphasises that Romania will stand by its NATO commitments despite the risks entailed. He underlined that Bucharest has undertaken certain strategic projects such as the missile defence shield besides the strategic partnership with the US. From this point of view, the Romanian state institutions have accomplished their duties through monitoring and the enforcement of penalties.
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