Extremely positive message conveyed by William Lash on behalf of US Administration

Romania was a reliable partner for the United States of America in the Iraqi crisis and this is why the Romanian companies will paly an important part in Iraq's reconstruction, said US Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Lash at the Victoria Palace on Thursday.
The US official conveyed an extremely positive message to the Government, especially to Premier Adrian Nastase, on behalf of the Washington Administration, of President George W Bush. Lash explained he was in Bucharest following an initiative of President Bush, namely to share information with the US allies all over the world. They already organized seminars of the same kind in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, William Lash said and added that, as a sign of the pledge taken to its Romanian partners, the US authorities would give all the necessary information to the Romanian companies. The same information will simultaneously be available both in Washington DC and in Bucharest, said Lash.
According to him, after the visit paid in 2002 by President George W Bush to Bucharest, the relations between the US and Romania turned stronger. The US official as well as Prime Minister Adrian Nastase pointed out that Romania could play an extremely important part in Iraq, considering, on the one hand, the experience it had acquired as a country that lived under a dictatorship and, on the other hand, Romania's previous relations, its experience in Iraq.
Lash said it was important to go beyond the reconstruction and that the reconstruction was the easiest part as the real challenge was the setting up of democracy and of the law-based state in the area. He added that Romania could offer a good model.
Premier Adrian Nastase described Lash's visit to Bucharest as "a first far-reaching demarche trying to lead to making it easier for Romania, for the Romanian companies to participate in the reconstruction of Iraq." One of the major aims of his visit is some bilateral meetings between the US and Romanian companies.

Special team to monitor Romanian companies' participation in Iraq's reconstruction

A special team to be set up within the Romanian Government will permanently monitor the situation and evolution of the Romanian companies to take part in Iraq's reconstruction process, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said on Thursday at Victoria Palace (the Govt's offices). U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Lash, currently on a visit to Romania, said that the United States hail Romania's effort to create this monitoring group, given that the provisional administration authority and the international donors' community have a very important mission in Iraq.

Iraq's reconstruction projects will be worth $18 billion

The Unites States deems Romania one of the important partners in Iraq's reconstruction, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Lash told a Thursday conference on "Iraq's reconstruction, a business opportunity for the Romanian companies." According to Lash, Iraq's reconstruction projects will be worth $18 billion and Romania will be among the subcontracting countries for the reconstruction projects. Lash did not mention the amount the Romanian companies might contract, but explained that some $5 billion would be invested in constructions and another $5 billion in other fields. The list with the contracting companies will be made public by the end of this month given that the reconstruction projects are to begin this April. Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said in his turn that, by July 1, an amount of $5 billion would be allotted for Iraq's reconstruction at a global level.
According to Nastase, Romania is interested in winning contracts in fields such as infrastructure, civil constructions, oil drilling and processing as well as energy, given the acknowledged Romanian experience in these fields. Moreover, Romania conducted in Iraq some irrigation projects, farmland reclamation and granted technical assistance in many fields. Thus, according to the PM, projects worth over $550 million had been conducted in 1991, within projects in the oil and construction fields and important contribution had been made to building some overflow drain canals, as well as 500 km of roads. The Romanian companies that might be appointed as subcontractors are, among others, Petrom National Oil Company, Rompetrol, Petrom Service, Electromontaj Bucharest, Contrasimex, Arcom and Arcif.

US wants to strengthen economic and commercial ties with Romania

The US wants to strengthen its economic and commercial ties with Romania so that these may reach the excellent level of its political and military ties with Romania, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce William Lash told a reception party on Wednesday evening in Bucharest extended by US ambassador in Bucharest Michael Guest.
Romania is a good friend of the US and proved itself to be a trustful partner in the fight against terrorism, Lash said. He added that both countries will also collaborate under projects for the rebuilding of Iraq. The collaboration topic was discussed yesterday, March 4, at the Romanian Government House in a conference devoted to analysing the possibilities for Romanian companies to enter business partnerships with American companies in Iraq.
Lash pointed out that the experience of the Romanian-American collaboration in rebuilding Iraq carries deeper significances than economic cooperation and relates to the efforts of Baghdad to overcome the problems generated by an oppressive regime and consolidate democratic bodies.
US ambassador Guest said in turn that the US wants its allies that have been on its side in fighting terrorism to take part in the business projects for the reconstruction of Iraq. Guest also said the US Administration and the Department of Commerce were still focussed on exploring new avenues for business cooperation with Romania and boosting American investment in Romania.

Romanian companies will learn from US companies' experience in Iraq, says US Assistant Secretary of Commerce

The US companies that have already participated in tenders and have contracts in Iraq can offer the Romanian companies an inside picture of the possibilities to join the Iraqi market, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Lash said on Wednesday and emphasized that this was also the aim of the conference titled "Iraq Reconstruction: Opportunities for Romanian Companies," organized at the Victoria Palace.
After meeting Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce William Lash said on Wednesday that the already existing partnerships between Romanian and US companies would offer the former ones the experience, technology and ability to get contracts not only in Iraq but also in other parts of the world.
Being for the fourth time in Romania, Lash mentioned that he had talked with the Romanian side of the steps still to be taken for the Romanian companies to enter partnerships with other US companies as well as of the importance attached to drawing some US investments to Romania and the importance of developing the business environment, of the anti-corruption struggle and transparency in Romania.
In his turn Mircea Geoana made it clear that 80 Romanian companies would attend the conference at the Victoria Palace. The event is proof to the fact that more tangible opportunities are in the offing for the Romanian companies to get contracts in Iraq and to use the Iraq experience "for a new trade offensive, of exports and engineering in the Middle East." The Romanian chief diplomat emphasized the fact that the Romanian-US trade exchanges and the US investments in Romania had significantly increased of late and also voiced hope for a Romanian-US partnership in projects connected to the reconstruction of Iraq.
"We hope that the Romanian companies will turn into privileged subcontractors and partners for the great US trans-national companies with a view to promoting more valuable and daring exports in the future," also said Mircea Geoana.