Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu once again managed to use the time spent in hearings at the Parliamentarian Foreign Policies Commissions for accusing president Basescu of destroying Romania's foreign image.

Far from the academic problems probably introduced by the official, but in the same area of "image problems Romania faces", 99 Roma minority representatives were expelled from Ireland on Wednesday, after local officials in Dublin decided they are a health hazard for their neighbors.

Subtle accusations of "incompetence" were whispered on Thursday by Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu while being heard in a common session of the deputies' and senators' foreign policies commissions.

"I find myself in a position where I have to repair the problems caused by president Basescu's permanent conflict with the Parliament", said Cioroianu.

"The Romanian habit of calling things on their true name isn't always the best diplomatic approach. Unfortunately, when you cause tensions between Romania and Russia, the first visible effects are not in the international media and politics, but in the local popularity rate", continued Cioroianu, as quoted by Evenimentul Zilei and most other newspapers.

A new comment on how Romania and the rest of Eastern Europe are seen abroad comes from the US congressman Tom Lantos: the former Communist countries made significant progresses, but the economic standards between the West and the East are deepening everyday.

The old political, religious and ideology separations reappeared in Europe, Lantos says, while anti-Semite attitudes are more and more frequent, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

For something completely different: 99 Roma immigrants who settled near the M50 highway in Ireland were expelled after the local officials decided that heavy rains and precarious hygiene conditions turned the camp into a health hazard for the populace, Jurnalul National notes.

Back to politics, Liberal Democrats and the Democrat Party are one step from forming a "Popular Union" designed to support president Basescu. The new political formation will be equally led by the two parties - Emil Boc for Democrats and Theodor Stolojan for Liberal Democrats, Gandul found out.

In the anti-Basescu coalition, Liberals and Hungarian Democrats failed to reach an agreement with the main Opposition party, Social Democrats, who suggested a cooperation plan for the following five years.

Called "the Nastase project", after former PM Adrian Nastase, the project was strongly rejected by Liberals: "In case the former prime minister forgot about the way he behaved during his mandate, we did not forget... Nastase isn't entitled to suggest plans for Romania's future", said Liberal vice president Ludovic Orban, quoted by Gandul.