CSAT meeting starts at Cotroceni Presidential Palace

Romania's Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) meeting which will include discussions about the Caracal case started on Tuesday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace. The meeting is attended by President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, National Defence Minister Gabriel Les, resigning Interior Minister Nicolae Moga, Foreign Affairs Minister Ramona Manescu, Justice Minister Ana Birchall, Economy Minister Niculae Badalau, Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, Chief of General Staff Nicolae Ciuca, Presidential Advisor for National Security Ion Oprisor and CSAT Secretary Mihai Somordolea. The directors of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) are not in attendance, being represented by substitutes. President Klaus Iohannis mentioned, at the end of last week, that within this meeting also discussed will be the tragedy in Caracal. At this meeting also, President Iohannis will inform the Council members regarding the resignation of Ionel Vasilica from the helm of the Special Telecommunications Service (STS). The head of state convened this CSAT meeting last week. Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici announced ever since last Thursday, in the context of the discussions regarding the budget revision, that a CSAT meeting would take place. "There are a few things to be concluded. Its approval [of the budget revision] in the Government depends on the CSAT. The CSAT meeting will convene next week, which means that the revision won't take place on 31 July, because there are many steps to be made: the CSAT meeting, the Fiscal Council, the Economic and Social Council (CES), and then July 31 will probably not be a feasible date for revision. Perhaps, the next week will," Finance Minister Teodorovici stated. AGERPRES (RO - author: Florentina Peia, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Rodica State, editor: Adina Panaitescu)