Posted on 05/02/2007 8:30:25 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - The Romanian legislature approved an agreement Wednesday allowing the United States to use four military bases and station up to 3,000 troops in the country.
Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu praised the agreement, saying for decades many Romanians had "only one hope: that the American troops would come and free us from Communism."
Today, however, "Romania is no longer a victim looking for a saviour but a partner of the United States in the fight against terrorism," he said.
Legislators voted 257-1, with 29 nationalists abstaining, to approve the 10-year agreement, which was signed in December 2005 by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Lucian Bolcas, a senior leader of the nationalist Great Romania party, called it "very serious" for Romania to become a buffer state between two major nuclear powers - the United States and Russia.
Russia has criticized the deployment of U.S. troops in its former sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. Moscow is also angered by a U.S. plan to place ballistic missile defences in the Czech Republic and Poland, saying it threatens the balance of power in the region.
The United States is expected to take over the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania later this year, although no exact date has been announced. U.S. troops are also allowed to use three training bases in southeastern and central Romania.
Who would have thought this possible 20 years ago?
Germany’s loss is Romania’s gain.
Why wouldn’t they want US bases in Romania? Not only is it insurance against some future communist/Islamist aggression but pumps $$ into their economy too.
This is a real smart move, the Black Sea is going to be very important in the next decade.
Not a big fan of Romania. 90% of the country’s GDP comes from internet scamming. I nearly got scammed myself on a major purchase, being happily unaware that the scamster was actually operating out of Romania.
They had better keep and eye out for Count Dracula.
People say the war on terror has been a waste of money>??? What no one talks about is the amount of bases we have been allowed in countries that border countries of terrorist nations. How many american lives did we lose in WWII to then acquire that sphere of influence geographically?
Every life is of value, I suspect our presence just a short flight away from a terrorist nation will do more to save lives than anything else, preventing the kind of militarizing borders we saw with saddam.
Hey, Putin!!
Sure is refreshing to see a mature governing body.
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