Crin Antonescu ”I asked STS to respect the law”

Interim President Antonescu issued a statement Friday evening at Cotroceni Palace in which he sated that the special communication equipment installed by the Special Telecommunication Services at the Traian Basescu’s campaign headquarters represent a measure possible ”through a broader interpretation than the term provided by the law”.

”The legislation doesn’t allow of any notion of a suspended president. It’s about someone whose presidential attribution has been interrupted together with every x”, Antonescu added.

Friday, at 18:00 STS interrupted the special communications services of the suspended President, according to a press release issued by the institution for Agerpres.

The interim President has also stated that he wasn’t interested in how many special telephone numbers Traian Basescu has.

”It’s just that in this country there are laws that must be respected and there are people who are obliged by these laws to impose them ” Antonescu added.

He went further to say that he had personally sent a written petition to the director of the Special Telecommunication Services director, Marcel Opris, asking him to apply at once the measures necessary ”to re-comply with the law”.

”Taking into consideration the fact that this installment was done by a verbal disposition of the still exercising president, I have addressed a written petition to the STS director, asking him to apply at once the measures in order to re-comply with the law, namely to suspend the functionality of these special services in a private space of a private person, who admittedly was the President of Romania and who may yet re-occupy this office in a week’s time, who now doesn’t hold any of the legitimate public qualities in order to benefit from these services” he added.

The interim President added that he believes that the STS director will take the necessary measures and hence the case will be closed.

He also dismissed the argument used by the suspended president that he telephones at his campaign center are destined to ensure his communication with the Security and Protection Services (SPP) as ”ridiculous”.

”Of course, mister Basescu used this opportunity to give a ridiculous answer, that he uses these special services to communite with the SSP, and raved about coup d’état.

” The services that the law allows him to benefit from is fully ensured even without special telephone numbers ” he insisted.

Traian Băsescu is ”a political wreck”

Crin Antonescu also added that Traian Băsescu is "is a political wreck through his speech, attitude, aspect and behaviour”.

The interim President added that the goal of this referendum " is to save the entire country from ending up a wreck".

"I think that mr Băsescu should at least drop one thing: Not me try to threaten or intimidate.

" If his daily jail threats scare some people who broke the law, he can’t scare me in any way” he added.

" I ask him for the sake of the public to quit it with this kind of tactics and delirious behavior that compromise us for the long term.”

He also declared that " Traian Băsescu’s irresponsible ravings" are further damaging the country and that this kind of statements have been cited by the international press and Romania’s image might devalue yet again”.

" Concerning the coup d’état, Traian Băsescu’s opinions on the Senate Committee and all of these ravings, I would like the representatives of the main traditionally democratic countries who are in Bucharest to bring these speeches to the attention of their European and US superiors” Crin Antonescu said.

He stated that he wants ambassador Gitenstein to inform Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama about who Traian Băsescu is and how he expresses himself, how a Senate committee is labeled ”a bunch of politrickers” by someone wanting to be the President of Romania.

” My attempt to deconstruct the special Romanian services was brought up, sheet nonsense. It wasn’t about one single service”.

” Of course, the people involved in these services, with their chiefs at the forefront, of whom I have always requested only one thing, to apply the law, know that Traian Basescu is shamelessly lying”.

USL’s objective is the ” deconstruction of every national security institution ”

The suspended President stated Thursday evening that the objective of USL is not the dismissal of the STS chief, but ”the deconstruction of every national security institution”.

He referenced the petition sent to CSAT by the interim President depending the dismissal of the STS chief, Marcel Opris, regarding the telephone installed at the campaign headquarters of Traian Băsescu.

”Their objective is not the dismissal of the STS chief, but the deconstruction of every national security institution.

” Today we have witnessed a dirty trick in which politrickers tried to create the conditions of a report for the CSAT by which the chiefs of security structures would be dismissed.

” These people are a treacherous clique. I don’t know whom they are working for, but they will answer before the law” the suspended President said.

Traian Băsescu claimed that " we are witnessing a coup d’état in progress".

"The chester at Cotroceni will answer before the law ", Traian Băsescu said from his car

The telephone is operative, not secret

The suspended President also declared for Radio România Actualităţi that he had no secret telephone from STS, but rather an operative one by which he communicates with the SPP.

” An elected President can’t be left unprotected. I didn’t make this rule and the ones who are required by law to protect the President run the risk of going to jail if anything happens to me ”.
”I have to be able to communicate with the SPP at any time”

” Maybe the interim president wants or needs an opinion about an urgent problem. I would love to hear him ask for my opinion on the situation in Syria or, maybe any other place important to us where are interests lie”.

” He could call at this number anytime, the number isn’t secret, it’s operative. A secret telephone is dark and has 12 keys, and I don’t have that ” he declared.

The Chief of the Special Telecommunication Services, general Marcel Opris, claimed Thursday, at the end of the hearing of the Senate committee for defense, that he acted in compliance with the current laws when he installed a telecommunication system at the campaign headquarters of Traian Basescu.

STS and Marcel Opriş "have exceeded their authority"

The President of the Senate’s Defense Committee, Cristian David, stated that activity of STS exceeded its authority and the laws when installing a special telephone line at the campaign headquarters of Traian Băsescu.

Cristian David claimed that this type of measures are imposed by the CSAT.

"On the list of names beneficiaries from the special telecommunication services the President’s institution doesn’t appear.

" The decision to add the suspended President to the list belongs entirely to the STS director ”Cristian David said.

The President of the Senate’s defense committee added that the President was added to the list when the special line was also installed at the headquarters of Traian Băsescu.

"We consider that the documents given to us by Marcel Opris don’t respect the law, as we stated before ”.

"In other words, we believe that the suspended president, by virtue of his suspended attributions, doesn’t have any access to this Special Telecommunication Service ”.

"Consequently and implicitly, the access to this kind of services is not legal ” he declared.

Translated by Vlad Nichita
MTTLC, Bucharest University