Radu Timofte, head of the SRI (Romanian Secret Service), and Gheorghe Fulga, head of the SIE (Foreign Intelligence Department), as well as Virgil Ardelean, general director of the DGIPI (the secret service in the Interior Ministry) resigned yesterday. Presidency spokeswoman Adriana Saftoiu made the announcement last evening. Yesterday at 9:00 in the morning Romanian President Traian Basescu had a meeting with the SRI and SIE heads, along with representatives of the Interior Ministry. They met to analyze the state of things following the decision to set free businessman Omar Hayssam. President Basescu demanded the SRI, SIE and DGIA officials to come up with report on the Hayssam case in 5 hours. At 4:00 in the afternoon the heads of the three secret services reached Cotroceni Palace and fetched the report, along with their resignations, as protest against accusations that the three services had no information on the place where Hayssam was. The three officials who resigned claimed it was Justice that had freed the Syrian businessman and that the services in charge of monitoring the latter had done their duty before the latter was charged. Spokeswoman Adriana Saftoiu mentioned that the President of Romania agreed to the three resignations and added the officials resigning were to hand in attributions in 30 days' time. Right now it is the executive directors who are heading the three services. Colonel Florian Coldea is now interim director of the SRI. General Silviu Predoiu is interim coordinator of the SIE and General Constantin Darna is in charge of the DGIPI. PM Tariceanu explained that, given the protocol of D.A. ("Truth and Justice") Alliance, the Democrat Party would make a proposal for the SRI head and the Liberals would come up with offer for someone to take over the SIE. Politicians have described the three officials' attitude as normal. The Police are searching the country for Omar Hayssam.

Doru DRAGOMIR