Traian Basescu congratulated by Barak Obama. The White House communiqué features a wrong date for Romania's accession to NATO

The US President Barak Obama congratulated his Romanian homologue Traian Basescu after the Romanian Constitutional Court confirmed his re-election as president on Monday. The Constitutional Court rejected the social-democratic counter-candidate Mircea Geoana’s request to cancel the results of the December 6 round.

The communiqué the White House sent, quoted by the AFP, features a small mistake: Romania’s accession to NATO happened in April 2, 2004, during Ion Iliescu’s mandate, not during Basescu’s. „During president Basescu’s mandate, Romania joined the European Union and NATO, thus becoming a strategic ally for the United States”, the White House communiqué reads.

„The United States are keen to continue the close cooperation with president Basescu, as well as with the Romanian Government and parliamentary leaders in the months and years to follow”, the text concludes.

The White House slides back

Before the NATO summit in Bucharest, the White House committed several errors: the transcript of the conference held by the national security councillor Stephen Hadley, Basescu was spelled „Vasesque” and Constanta city was spelled „Constandt”.

„The President will travel to Constadt, on Romania’s Black Sea coast, to meet with President Vasesque at his official retreat”.