USA: Romanian President Traian Basescu urges President George W. Bush to waive visa requirement for Romanian citizens visiting the U.S.

Romanian President Traian Basescu pressed US President George W. Bush on Thursday (July 27, 2006) to drop visa requirements for the fast-increasing number of Romanian citizens travelling to the United States. Since 2003, the number of Romanian professionals travelling to the United States has tripled. Basescu said it was burdensome for students and business people to file visa paperwork three months in advance. The citizens of 27, mostly Western European nations, are part of a waiver program that allows them to enter and stay in the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Romania is one of more than a dozen countries that have expressed interest in joining the program and whose travel restrictions are being gradually eased. Bush was noncommittal about a time frame for changing the requirements, which stem from the communist era, when citizens from those countries overstayed their visas more frequently. "He (Basescu) was very articulate and strong in his position that the United States must be forward leaning when it comes to granting visas," Bush said. "Romania will not be a illegal immigration problem or a problem from the point of view of jobs," Basescu told reporters after meeting with Bush in the Oval Office. At the meeting, Basescu underscored his support for the U.S. mission in Iraq, where Romania has 890 troops. The leaders also agreed that separatists in neighbouring Moldova should not be allowed to secede from the country.

ITN Source | July 31, 2006

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