UNPRECEDENTED ATTACKS Băsescu's presents for Saint Nicholas' holiday

Last night, president Traian Băsescu put on his boots and trampled all over the shoes of his political opponents, who had laid them out to wait for presents for Saint Nicholas, and who got direct attacks instead. Many people are saying that the president just stopped giving a damn about anything...

Traian Băsescu attacked Victor Ponta viciously. He called him "deeply corrupt" and accused him of favoring Sebastian Ghiţă, the owner of RTV, allowing him to win one IT contract after another with the state.

Băsescu also accused the prime-minister of corruption in the Roşia Montană and Rompetrol cases, accusing him of trying to hide his thievery under laws: "Victor Ponta tried to do away with the debt of 400 million dollars owed by Rompetrol, hiding behind a law that was declared unconstitutional. He is also corrupt because he wanted to hide his arrangements for Roşia Montană behind the law.

He is corrupt because he took 2800 hectares away from the Agricultural Academy and transferred their ownership over to the County Council of Brăila. They even began a procedure to hold a call for tenders for leasing the land and when they found out that I was interested in what was happening with those lands, they've been saying for a year, that they would give them back, when my term is done. The clever guys don't buy land from the state, they lease it".

• "I've been enduring the most disgusting blackmail from the media group of Dan Voiculescu for eight years now"

President Traian Băsescu claims that Ioana Băsescu honestly bought the plot of land from an Italian investor and regardless of what the opposition may look for, it can't dig up anything illegal - not influence peddling, nor land stolen from dead people.

He said: "Prime-Minister Ponta and his father-in-law (ed. note: Ilie Sârbu), the whole gang, think that they can use the commissions from the Senate and the joint chambers of the Parliament to investigate how my daughter got the loan and how she bought the land, they think they can get to me. I would like to remind them that I have been enduring the most disgusting blackmail from the media group of Dan Voiculescu for eight years now, and for a while, from the Realitatea trust, back when it was managed by Vîntu, and now, its place has been taken over by the TV station of Ghiţă, I still have two media groups as all-out denigrators. Voiculescu the snitch, and deputy Ghiţă, are both doing what they've been taught to do".

The president spoke out in particular against the father-in-law of Victor Ponta and he claimed: "Ilie Sârbu made some unpleasant statements about me, but I am afraid that I wasn't out hunting with Năstase, and the incident that occurred leaves obvious signs".

• "The poisoning" of the population

President Traian Băsescu also accused Victor Ponta yesterday night, of urging oil companies to poison Romanians by postponing the program for increasing the weight of biofuel in fuel. The president commented: "The Government wants to grant exemptions to oil companies from the stages of increasing the ratio of biofuel in fuel. In other words, poison Romanians all you want, it'll be no problem! This approach is aberrant and lacking any responsibility".

The head of state also explained that biofuel means a cleaner environment and additional investments in refineries, which would pollute less: "So, the government is urging oil companies to stop making investments so they can bear some of the costs of the excise themselves. I don't think there is any company that would accept anything like that. Like I've said, the budget will be signed with or without the increase of the excise. Right now, the excise accounts for half of the price of gas at the pump".

Traian Băsescu once again accused Victor Ponta of hiking the excise for fuel just so he can get more money for next year's electoral campaign.

Yesterday night, the representatives of the oil companies, invited by Victor Ponta, met the representatives of the Government in the Victoria Palace. According to the information which circulated in the market yesterday, the talks focused on the measures which can reduce the impact of the price of fuel, on the population and the economy. Recently, Victor Ponta said that he will be meeting with the representatives of the oil companies to discuss the implementation of a set of fiscal measures so that the prices of fuel do not "significantly" affect the population or the economy.

Sources from the oil sector claim that the chances of oil companies accepting to bear even a small part of the price hike of 40 bani per liter which comes from the hike of the excise, are slim, because the profit margins are low, namely 2-5 cents per liter. Our sources said that the price of fuel can be kept in check by reducing the excise or the share of biofuel, and the biofuel was an issue discussed yesterday in the Victoria Palace.

Traian Băsescu said: "Ponta thought he would be able to hide this excise behind the letter sent to and approved by the IMF as well. This is the third reason why I did not sign the letter, because I understood what he wanted to do. As always, he wanted to hide his theft done to benefit the party, which he is managing together with Dragnea, by covering it up with my signature to the Fund".

His message to the prime-minister and the representatives of the government was to stop lying, because he claims that are not required to implement any supplemental excise for fuel: "Ponta is desperate to introduce it to divert money towards Dragnea, money which would be used for the elections for the European Parliament and the presidential elections. I am sorry that the liberals are joining this game, but in life, you pay for weakness, as well as for stealing. But in the former case, the price is your morals".

The Department for Energy recently posted on its website a draft Government Decision amending the percentages of biofuels. Thus, for gas, a drop of the quota from 5% to 4.5% is proposed, starting on January 1st., 2014. Also, by December 31st, 2020, suppliers have the obligation to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated per lifecycle of the fuel unit and per unit of energy supplied, by up to 10%.

PM Victor Ponta said on Tuesday that the fuel excise is not provided in the law of the budget for 2014, but in a different law, and he said that president Traian Băsescu is using this deception as a pretext not to sign the memorandum with the IMF, as his problem is with the Commission which is investigating the acquisition of the plot of land of Călăraşi.

• "A high level of irresponsibility when it comes to the interests of the country compared to those of the party"

President Traian Băsescu last night referred to the highway construction program of the USL. He said that the current government lacks respect for the population, as well as for Romania's interest.

"If Ponta persists in presenting this project, I am not making it a secret that I won't give him any support in Brussels to get that project approved. They are going to build the whole corridor IV, except the Valea Oltului (Valley of the Olt river) region. Can you imagine what will happen from Sibiu to Vâlcea, with just one lane? There will be some unimaginable lines because that would lower the capacity of the infrastructure by half", the president said. "They are people who don't think too much, they have an extraordinary level of irresponsibility when it comes to the national interests compared to those of the political party. How in God's name can they not realize that without highway infrastructure in the Valea Oltului region, Romania would also lose its role of country of transit, to say nothing of Mioveni, where every Euro saved on transportation costs is vital? Officials of Dacia Renault raise this problem of the highway towards the West on every meeting, because the highway would allow them to export at lower costs".