Romanian newspapers on Monday discuss a steries of critical statements made by President Traian Basescu on Russia, the EU and the UK this past weekend.

They dig into alleged abuses during the shooting of the latest blockbuster “Borat” in Romania; report that an ex-prime minister might have not collaborated with the Communist political police but allegedly worked with foreign intelligence; an reveal shady deals involving top officials in Romanian institutions.

“Basescu shoots everything that moves, from the Urals to the English Channel”, headlines Cotidianul in a report on President Basescu’s statements during a meeting with foreign journalists to Romania this weekend.

According to the newspaper, the Romanian head of state gave a clear signal Romania would remain engaged militarily in Iraq but criticized the UK and Ireland for restricting the access of Romanian and Bulgarian workers on their labour markets, once the two former communist countries join the EU in January next year.

And he warned the EU must overcome its dependence on Russian gas, in order to avoid the risks of Russian giant Gazprom becoming a “means of political pressure” in the hands of Moscow authorities.

Gandul quotes what it calls “Basescu’s arguments before the Londong government: We have people who steal, who drink, but we’re diligent and intelligent”.

The newspaper also quotes him as saying that “I did not note any restrictions for military forces in Iraq, where Romanian and British soldiers are fighting shoulder to shoulder”.

And Adevarul sees his statements as “attacks” on two of the most important countries in the world, Russia and Britain.

The newspaper, owned by an oil mogul, quotes maverick politician Gozmin Gusa, who reacted to Basescu’s statements in a press conference yesterday, accusing him of having an important role in the payment of commissions to a German-Russian company based in Switzerland, which he says intermediates natural gas imports from Russia to Romania.

Elsewhere in the newspapers, the same Adevarul notes that while Romanian unskilled workers face serious restrictions in Britain, firms and professional associations in that country are already looking for Romanian specialists to fill the holes on the British labour market.

Several hundred stomatological doctors are being sought, for example, as it was proven by a recent conference in Bucharest.

Cotidianul focuses on other aspects of enlargement and reports that the lobby of some MEPs in favour of lifting a moratorium on international adoptions from Romania has been now including blackmail.

The newspaper quotes MEP Charles Tannock, one of the initiators of a call for the lifting of the ban, who has warned that “structural funds must be blocked until we’re satisfied with the child protection system in Romania. The statement “sounded like a blackmail”, according to the head of the Romanian Office for Adoptions, quoted by the newspaper.

For its part, Evenimentul Zilei reports that the people of a very poor Romanian village, Glod, were tricked into attending the shooting of Borat, the latest blockbuster of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

The newspaper reports that while locals are angry of not being told what the whole filming truly was about, they are now claiming money to tell their side of the story.

Meanwhile, Cotidianul reports that ex-PM Adrian Nastase, recently charged with collaborating with Ceausescu’s dreaded police, the Securitate, was in fact placed under surveillance in 1989, before the anti-communist revolution, under the codename Ady.

That is because the Securitate had obtained “certain data” that he might be about to become a spy for France.

Gandul focuses on irregularities within the Romanian Intelligence Service-SRI, where its deputy-head, lt-gen Ionel Marin, owes some 1.142 billion ROL to the state for the house he lives in. According to the newspaper, Marin was illegally “credited” by the SRI itself for bulding the house.

Evenimentul Zilei reports that two of the country’s most controversial businessmen, Ovidiu Tender and Frank Timis, are now related.

Timis, the mind behind the Rosia Montana gold project, has become the godfather of Andrei Victor, son of Ovidiu Tender, a businessman who’s been recently freed from arrest as he faced organized crime charges.

And Cotidianul reports that several bosses within the Romanian Gendarmerie who are now investigated over abuses with real estate properties have been turned in by the very soldiers that helped them build villas here and there. The scandal involves two heads of the Romanian Gendarmerie.