Contradictory news spread all over the newspapers on Wednesday. Some insist that president Traian Basescu asks for a Democrat - Liberal - Liberal Democrat government, others believe he already reached a secret agreement with the main Opposition party, Social Democrats.

The sure thing is that the US ambassador, Nicholas Taubman, had a private meeting with the Social Democrat head, Mircea Geoana.

"President Basescu suggested for the first time in public that Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu should be replaced", Gandul reads, adding that the president calls the parties to negotiate on a Democrat (PD) - Liberal (PNL) - Liberal Democrat (PLD) governing formula.

Basescu told politicians that such a formula would represent the electoral choice expressed in the 2004 elections and in the referendum for Basescu's suspension, the newspaper reads.

Same Gandul discusses a meeting Basescu had with Mircea Geoana, the head of the main Opposition party, Social Democrats (PSD). According to the newspaper, Geoana said he can't convince his party colleagues to support the PD anti-government motion tabled in the Government, but that PSD may submit such a motion on its own.

It seems that Geoana didn't give up the idea that PSD should be the party to form a government, in which he would be prime minister, and subsequently asked Basescu for a signed agreement.

Not Basescu, nor the PD head, Emil Boc, agreed on such an agreement. Gandul claims that Basescu's intention is to suggest former Justice Minister Monica Macovei as prime minister and either have an ally in the Government, or dissolve the Parliament, in case Macovei is rejected twice.

"The beginning of the end for Tariceanu", is the main headline in Evenimentul Zilei, which also discusses the president's call for new negotiations with the political parties.

The newspaper also speculates on who may replace Tariceanu, the main options being the former Interior Minister Vasile Blaga and the Liberal - Democrat leader Theodor Stolojan.

In case the PD - PLD - PNL alliance fails, the president takes into account the possibility to have PSD submitting an anti-governmental motion in the Parliament, since the similar PD motion is credited with zero chances to succeed, the paper explains.

After a meeting with the president, both the PSD and the PD leaders declared for Evenimentul Zilei that Tariceanu won't be prime minister for much longer, in fact that he won't be head of the cabinet in July.

The most interesting news comes from Cotidianul: US ambassador Nicholas Taubman put pressure on the PSD head Mircea Geoana, in order to have the political crisis solved as soon as possible.

According to the newspaper, the two officials met for some 50 minutes on Tuesday. Geoana refused to offer any details but had a remark that suggested what the theme was: "We need to end this ambiguity state. The foreign partners are quite nervous", said Geoana.

A month ago, Taubman made a statement about the foreign investors who started to wonder whether Romania is a proper target for their investments.