We’ll see if the Serbians are Romanians on Sunday!

Traian Basescu went to Beograd to show to the Serbians and to the Romanians especially that our country is against a unilateral independence manifest from the Kosovo leaders.

The newspapers and the TV stations didn’t pay too much attention to the quick visit of Traian Basescu in Beograd on the 29^th of January 2008.

It doesn’t surprise me:

1) The international politics is like a Cinderella of our press, which is ready to write more about the new pair of socks of a porno star than about the NATO Reunion in Bucharest.

2) The Press expects Traian Basescu to make picturesque or scandalous gestures, because Traian Basescu showed us he can do. If he made a pass at the Translator in Beograd or if he attacked Calin Popescu Tariceanu again, the media would have taken care of the visit. Since Traian Basescu behaved as he should have, the media didn’t pay too much attention to the visit.

However, the visit is quite important and has to be commented by political analysts. The few articles about the trip say that Traian Basescu’s gesture represents:

1) The expression of the solidarity with the Serbians in the Kosovo matter (the publications vassal to Cotroceni).

2) The involvement in the electoral campaign in Serbia (the publication hostile to Cotroceni)

Both meanings are true. Indeed, Traian Basescu went to Beograd to show to the Serbians and to the Romanians especially that our country is against a unilateral independence manifest from the Kosovo leaders. This is how Traian Basescu tried to appease both sides. Even though the independence of Kosovo is not benefic for Romania (concerned about the situation on the Hungarians in Covasna-Hargita who could do the same), the President didn’t have the courage to be against certain actions of the EU that agreed with the factual independence of Kosovo. Therefore, Romania agreed to send troops in the Serbian province in accordance to the EU mission even if the authorities in Beograd didn’t agree with it. Romania couldn’t be against the EU measures in the European Council session. But they could delay the moment in which they offered to take part in the EU force. Therefore, the President chose a formula that reminded the electoral walk-on: he went to Beograd and told the Serbians Romania didn’t agree with the Kosovo independence. The poor Serbians that see Europe attacking them continuously were happy to see that the Romanians stand by them at least at the statement level. 

Boris Tadic is one of the leaders of the Democrat Party in Serbia. On Sunday, Boris Tadic will compete against Tomislav Nikolici in the second round of the Presidential elections in Serbia. D-LP leader, Traian Basescu considered he should give a helping hand to his Serbian colleague. We’ll se on Sunday if this kind of involvement in the electoral campaign will help Boris Tadic. Even though they are correct, the meanings emphasized by the media are not enough. In our opinion, there is one more explanation for the visit to Beograd. A more profound explanation than the previous two.

The great European powers, the ones that rule the EU, worked and still work for the independence of Kosovo. However, Kosovo is a Serbian Territory. In consequence, Russia offered its help to Serbia. The European Union thought they should do something to avoid the control of Russia over Serbia. Therefore, they proposed a bargain to the Serbians. If you don’t make such a fuss out of taking Kosovo from you, we will let you travel through Europe more easily. Of course this kind of bargain is typical for the Occidental leaders. Instead of keeping a territory that is yours, you, Serbians, will prefer traveling to the Occident where you can eat, drink and buy our merchandise.

In Beograd, Traian Basescu talked to the Serbians about the meaning of being a EU member. Of course the Serbians weren’t offered the status of EU member in exchange for Kosovo, but something a lot more inconsiderable: to be able to travel to Occident without visas. The Romanian President was the messenger of the Occidental bargain. Was he also a messenger of a Romanian trade? Unfortunately yes. Because the Romanians have left the national pride behind in order to be able to drink Coke and eat burgers a lot time ago. The question is whether the Serbians would accept the offending trade proposed by the EU. We’ll see if they are Romanians on Sunday!

• Translated by Sorin Bălan