December 9, 2005

Romania provides the US with complex military facilities

The military facilities that Romania provides, allow the execution of applications for artillery and infantry, as well as bombardment exercises from helicopters and airships, providing as well accommodation for troops and access to land, railway and airway transport lines.

On Tuesday evening, the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Romanian Foreign minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu signed the access accord on establishing American military facilities in Romania , at Cotroceni Palace . The ceremony was attended by both president Traian Basescu and prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu .

Before signing the accord, the President said that the locations for placing military facilities would be Kogalniceanu , Babadag , Cincu and Smârdan .

According to MApN , Cincu shooting stand spreads out in Sibiu and Brasov counties, has 104 square kilometers and approximately 100 km of naturally arranged roads, 400 - 700 m altitude, varied relief, average temperature of 7-8 Celsius degrees.

It is located near Cincu commune, 25 km East from Fagaras town and 13 km from Voila commune. Voila locality is crossed by Brasov - Fagaras – Sibiu road and railway. Voila railway station is also the closest point for loading and unloading the equipment transported by train, according to MApN .

According to the quoted source, Cincu shooting stand is authorized for tactic applications involving combat shootings with the company and infantry battalion, battery, the artillery group (brigade and army body), as well as for tactic exercises involving combat shootings with artillery piece and platoon.

In Cincu , makers of ammunition and arms are authorized for shootings from covered shooting positions with artillery and all caliber throwers; shootings with aviation fire means; shootings for homologation and experimenting with artillery by direct targeting and from covered position, as well as with helicopters.

Malina shooting stand ( Smârdan ) in Galati county has a surface of 8,500 hectares and can provide lodging for 600 persons.

This shooting stand is homologated for: training and combat shootings with arms on combat machines of the infantry and tanks; tactic applications with combat shootings with infantry and tanks (battalion level); tactics with combat shootings with artillery subunits (battery, division) and artillery group; special shootings and shootings with heavy infantry; session of offensive and defensive grenade throwing; shootings with arms of chemical troops; shootings at targets on land with helicopter and plane equipment; vertical bombing with MIG-21 LanceR and horizontal bombing with IAR-99; MIG-21 and IL 28, the document shows.

Babadag shooting stand in Tulcea county has an area of 2700 hectares and an accommodation capacity for 250 persons.

MApN says that Babadag can accommodate tactical applications of fight shooting with the infantry and the tanks (company level ), as well as fight shooting with the artillery subunits (battery, division); special shooting and shooting with the heavy infantry artillery; offensive and defensive grenade-throwing sessions; shooting in the terrestrial targets with the ammunition on the helicopters and planes.

The airdrome Mihail Kogalniceanu is 3500 meters long, 45 meters wide and has a concrete runway.

According to the cited source, the facilities at Mihail Kogalniceanu ensure the flight supervision as well as the administrative management, buildings for the staff accommodation and the work of the technical staff, hangars for planes, storage areas.

MApN stipulates that the Access Agreement also regulates the use of Romanian military facilities by the US forces; in that respect we do not talk about classic American bases but about an American presence in the Romanian military facilities. "The commanders of these facilities will be Romanian officers", MApN mentioned.

These locations will be jointly used for trainings and drills and will also be opened for exercises under NATO/ PfP aegis, targeting the development of the regional military cooperation.

MApN considers that the "Access accord" is a "politically-oriented document meant to regulate the general development framework, at different levels (political, military, financial, logistic and juridical) of the activity deployed by the American military established in Romania . It also settles both the interaction and the mutual commitments of the parties involved as concerns enforcing the stipulations of the document".

According to the stipulations of the above-mentioned Accord, the Ministry of National Defense represents the national authority designated as a link between the American forces and the Romanian authorities.

The American Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice stated, after the debates carried with Traian Basescu , that the treaty as regards the American military forces using the Romanian military facilities represents a historical accord. She added the fact that the American military preferred Romania over Bulgaria considering the tighter relations between the Romania and the United States .

"It is a historical accord and it is more interesting when we think that, after 16 years since the collapse of the communism, Romania has successfully managed to become a powerful NATO ally, and here we are today signing such an accord meant to enable the USA soldiers to train on Romania's territory", Rice said.

The American official also spoke about her previous visit to Bucharest when she accompanied President Geo rge W. Bush.

"When the American President held that speech in Universitatii Square , we remember it was a rainy cold day, but, suddenly the rainbow appeared in the sky and we all took it as a symbol of the bilateral relations which gradually became closer. From that day on, all things were meant to prove that Romania is one of our most powerful friends we share the joint values with", Rice said on referring to the speech held by the American President Geo rge Bush in Revolutiei Square , in front of the Royal Palace .

Rice added that the American military and Romania "joined their forces in the fights in Afghanistan and Iraq ". "We are grateful both to the Romanian citizens for their sacrifice and to the families of the soldiers fighting side by side with the American forces in highly dangerous places. We are truly moved and thankful for their commitment and sacrifice and we all know they are risking their lives in the process", the USA official added.

Asked why Romania was chosen for placing American military facilities, Rice said: "We have a tighter relation with Romania , from the military point of view. We also have good relations with Bulgaria , but presidents Bush and Basescu discussed about this agreement. The geographical position is also very good. In all activities we had with Romania , this country engaged in transforming the army, in improving its technologies and in consolidating the military capacity. This is our recognition of very tight relations".

American secretary of state said Romania and USA have "the same interest in developing this region- the Black Sea area and in developing good relations with the neighbor countries". "If any challenges turn up during this period, we know Romania is an extraordinary partner that is willing to make all sacrifices in order to transform the world into a freer one", Rice added.

US official also said he discussed with the European allies about the importance of intelligence activity and about eliminating the terrorists from the streets.

"Let's not forget that we cannot prevent an attack if we do not know that the attack occurs. Information is the only means through which we can find out about an attack before it actually occurs. I think we can say that eliminating terrorists from the streets saved human lives. What I publicly said to my colleagues, that we intend to use all legal means to capture, arrest and interrogate in order to gain the information we need, means that all these tactics are saving lives. Without intelligence services, we cannot save lives ", Rice concluded.

President Traian Basescu stated during the joint press conference with US secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that placing US military bases on our territory was a sign of political credibility for our country.

"The treaty was signed after ten months since I have established with President Geo rge W. Bush in Washington , that this year we should finalize talks on US military facilities on the Romanian territory ", the President said, before Rice and Ungureanu signed the treaty.

Basescu says that the document "places Romania in the global security area, and, as of the moment when the Romanian Parliament signs and validates it, it will become a stability pillar in the region".

The chief of state added that the agreement targeted the following locations: The air base from Mihail Kogalniceanu , the training base Babadag , the training area Cincu and the training area Smârdan . "The training areas and bases are meant for all categories of arms", the president mentioned.

He said that, from Romania's point of view, the placing of US military facilities in our country represented a confirmation of the fact that "the Romanian army reached a potential where it can be a partner of the USA, maintaining proportions; the other security structures from Romania are able to cooperate to the highest level with the similar structures from USA".

At the same time, this means political credibility from Romania ''s standpoint. All these have been possible because honesty, truthfulness always existed in the bilateral relations and Romania has always observed its engagements in the relation with USA .

”There is another element, the most valuable as concerns bilateral relations, namely the acceptance of USA ''s presence in Romania by the Romanian people", Bãsescu added.

Asked about the risks that might occur for Romania after placing US military facilities, Bãsescu said our country assumed certain risks when it decided to send troops in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq .

“This isn''t a smaller or bigger risk, it''s a big step for Romania to get involved in the global security system. Practically, things can become more risky, but when we decided to sign the treaty, we have assessed the risk and we know we are capable of facing it, but we cannot guarantee that we are perfect from this point of view. But the risk is a calculated one, and we assume it because we believe we can keep it under control", the President explained.

He also said that Romania would not pull out its troops from Iraq and would end all the missions undertaken to help the allies, "but also to help the Iraqi people live in a stable country from the point of view of the security and the political stability of the country".

"Romania will not reduce its military forces in Iraq and will support the Iraqi Government as long as it is necessary, pursuant to the UN resolution and together with its allies, so when we pull out our troops from Iraq, all the objectives should be fulfilled, that is a safe country, and Romania would be able to keep its head high that it has fulfilled all the commitments to its partners", Basescu concluded.