What the newspapers say: July 24, 2006

Arab businessman Omar Hayssam’s disappearance keeps the front pages of all dailies on Monday. Of equal importance seems to be the “wedding of the century” between the businessman Irinel Columbeanu (50) and photo model Monica Gabor, a fresh high school graduate.

After a hot weekend, the dog days weather will not spare the western and southern parts of Romania, until Thursday, according to weather forecasts.

Evenimentul Zilei analyses the situation created by Hayssam’s disappearance and takes a look at the Romanian top figures that would benefit from it.

Among them, Liberal businessman Dinu Patriciu, who approached the Syrian for a oil business in Sudan, and Social Democrat Viorel Hrebenciuc who favored Omar in a public bid for the privatization of a state company.

The most disadvanteged by the situation is Romanian president Traian Basescu who will face US president G.W. Bush on Wednesday and will have to explain the vanishing of a terrorist.

Adevarul finds two ministers responsible for Omar’s vanishing additional to the heads of special services and the general prosecutor that have recently resigned over this case.

The daily names the Interior minister Vasile Blaga as accountable for both the Information and Internal Protection Directorate whose director Virgil Ardelean resigned, and the Customs, that allegedly could not prevent Hassam leaving the country. The other minister is the Justice minister Monica Macovei, responsible for the judicial error of releasing Hayssam on grounds on frail health.

Both ministers come from the Democratic Party-PD, President Traian Basescu’s political group, hence the fact that the two were not sanctioned, according to the newspaper.

More dailies report about the Interior minister’s birthday party, where all top PD members took part, and were joined by President Basescu.

Cotidianul, and Gandul draw attention to the fact that the restaurant hosting the party belongs to a Lebanese businessman, a close collaborator of the opposition Social Democratic Party.

Hayssam’s disappearance prompted Gandul to look in another direction, to the western part of Romania, to Timisoara, from where another Arab businessman fled the country shortly after Hassam had been declared missing. The Syrian Zaher Iskandarani was involved in significant cigarettes smuggling but was not banned from leaving the country.

On July 19, the prosecutor Corina Gherghisan, known for her involvement in another scandal, allowed Iskandarani to take his family and fly to Switzerland. He pretended to be going to relax, but his trip is more dubious under the circumstances of Omar’s disappearance.

Another topic, of equal importance apparently, is the “wedding of the century” between the businessman Irinel Columbeanu (50) and photo model Monica Gabor, a fresh high school graduate. Jurnalul criticizes the event and the fact that media was distracted by it from the real events of the week such as the Mideast war, Hayssam running away, etc.

The reporter also describes the wedding as an enormous and expensive kitsch broadcast live.

Cotidianul presents the wedding as a big success, a 200,000 Euros event which had everything, from white doves, a boat cruise on the lake, fireworks, to stand-up comedy, and a popular band performing. Gardianul also scrutinizes the even and makes of list of missing or faulty elements.

Among them, the daily found inappropriate the revelation of the information that the bride was pregnant.

The dailies warn that the dog days are not over. Until Thursday, the weather will be characterized by wave of heat, reaching 35 degrees during the day.