Romania to Align with US, Britain

Romania hits back at French ‘lecturing’

Anytime someone tells Chirac to pound sand, I feel a need to highlight it.

‘Traian Basescu says he wants to form a “special relationship” with the US and Britain to improve security in the Black Sea region, and he also aligns himself with London's liberal economic policies.’

‘Mr Basescu's stance has infuriated France’

'“Traditionally we have worked together with London and Washington,” Mr Basescu said, most recently by sending troops to Iraq, and he resented French criticisms of that policy.'

'He said Jacques Chirac, French president, caused offence in 2003 when he told EU candidate countries to “shut up” over Iraq, and that Michel Barnier, French foreign minister, recently compounded the insult when he said Mr Basescu did not have “a European reflex”. '

Asked which economic model he would pursue, he said it would be a “more liberalised” system. “We want to have a state with minimal involvement in the economy,” he said. '

I can't wait to see the French reaction.