According to Kalman Mizsei, the EU should provide financial support to the civic society in Transdniestria. Although he is known to be a favorite of George Soros's, the Magyar-origin diplomat disregarded the research by the Institute of Public Policies in Chishinau, claiming the following: "In the separatist republic there were established more than 600 non-governmental organizations, almost all of them under at least the intelligence control of the Russian services and many of them established by the latter." Here is one example: Dmitrii Soin is an under cover officer and he coordinates two NGOs in Transdniestria, but the Interpol is searching for him because he committed two murders and he is also accused of gun trafficking. But not even the past of the EU envoy is clean: he was forced into resigning as representative of the UNDP in Moscow in September 2006, because of a report unveiling fraud committed while he had mandate. Romanian and European money for the separatists? Diplomat Mizsei said yesterday in Bucharest that the member states and other international donors interested in the region should give financial support for the civil society in Transdniestria. The latter republic, he claimed, was not dictatorship and had pluralism, political opposition, civil society and enterprise managers with view different from the ones of the Tyraspol political leaders. Antjia Herrberg, a Crisis Management Initiative representative chairing the debate, replied this was a matter to talk about, maybe the greatest challenge. But the press was banned access to the conference. Journalists were allowed to attend only the opening, although it was a civil society event. Minister Cioroianu agreed to Mizsei and during the press conference he encouraged the EU official to tackle the issue with help from the Transdniester 'civil society'. The EU envoy insisted that the support for the what he called civil society was a challenge to EU or international donors such as the Black Sea Fund, supporting regional cooperation of civil society organizations via the Marshall Foundation. Mizsei recounted that ever since taking over he had paid several visits to Tyraspol to talk to the so-called officials and also to the representatives of enterprises and civil society. He described it as helping him to understand the approach to, the opinions on and a possible solution to the conflict with Chishinau In opposition to Romania's view Romania's official view has it that the Moldovan Republic is to seek accession to the EU together with the Western Balkans states. Still Mizsei said yesterday that the Moldovan Republic was to be satisfied if getting the European Neighborhood Policy only. He argued that the EU was the greatest attraction to the Moldovan Republic, but at times of growing Euro skepticism felt by the public opinion in EU states and of Europeans' wish that money should no longer be spent on the admission of more members. Therefore the Moldovan Republic should carry out the action plan agreed on with the EU on the grounds of the European naighborhood policy. He claimed that action plan hadn't been carried out and added that, despite the growing economy, the Moldovan Republic still had a lot of things to accomplish in terms of democratic development. The EU official pleaded for permanent dialogue with President Vladimir Voronin and the ministers in Chishinau, to make sure of reliable progress in these fields. Moreover, he claimed Romania had two problems to settle with the Moldovan Republic: sign a basis political treaty and a customs agreement.

George DAMIAN