On the occasion of his participation at the UN General Assembly Session, Mr. Mircea Geoana met in New York, on September 21, with Ms. Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser of the US President.

The meeting is part of the high level political dialogue between Romania and the US and offered the possibility to address issues of major interest within the bilateral framework, as well as Romania's immediate neighborhood, the Middle East and the fight against terrorism.

It was underlined the strengthening of the bilateral political dialogue following the Nastase-Bush meeting of July, which is to be further consolidated by the forthcoming visits to Romania of the Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham, the General Attorney John Ashcroft and the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, scheduled for October. It was also stressed the positive dynamics of the bilateral economic relations.

The meeting was an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in the Middle East, and especially the developments in Iraq, following the transfer of authority, in July, to the new interim Iraqi Government and the contacts both parties had with its members. It were also highlighted the activity and vision proved by the new Iraqi authorities. Romania's contribution to the multinational force in Iraq received high appreciations. Both parties agreed on the importance of both supporting the creation of a future UN protection mission for Iraq, and the training with international support of the Iraqi security forces and law enforcement personnel. In this context, both parties emphasized the necessity of a broader involvement of the international community in supporting the stabilization process, the democratic development and economic reconstruction of Iraq. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed the major interest of Romania to participate in the programs and projects of economic reconstruction of Iraq, supported by the US.

The Geoana-Rice political dialogue also included an exchange of views and evaluation on Romania's immediate neighborhood, in particular the evolutions in the Black Sea area. The interest of Romania and the United States, as allies, in maintaining security, ensuring stability and promoting democracy in the region was underlined. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania has expressed the particular concerns of the Romanian side over the situation in Transnistria, underscoring the importance of a deeper European and American involvement in supporting stability and security, as well as the democratic transformations and European vocation of the Republic of Moldova.

Expressing the interest and responsibility for promoting stability and good neighborhood relations, Minister Geoana addressed the situation created as a result of the works undertaken by the Ukrainian side at the Bystroe channel, in the border area of the two countries. He underlined the imperative of taking into account the prevailing international agreements and regulations and, implicitly, the importance of conducting bilateral consultations in order to evaluate the impact of this project.

The US National Security Advisor expressed particular appreciations for the constructive role of Romania within the United Nations Security Council, the international organizations, as well as at regional level, and reaffirmed the special evaluations for the contribution of Romania to the fight against terrorism.