OBSERVER - 8th March 2005 Cosmin Dinescu, general manager in the judicial division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the ministry will continue the strategy put forth last year for stopping the carving of the Bistroe Channel inside the Ukrainian section of the Danube Delta. ALEXANDRU NASTASE

Dinescu made his remarks at a seminar on the topic, organized by Save the Delta - Academia Catavencu non-profit organization.

So far Romania had positive reactions supporting its stance on the matter from all international conventions and treaties it activated, and from the European Commission.

These bodies took tough stances against Ukraine and recommended Kiev to change its policy and abide by the international agreements it was a signatory part of.

The Bistroe Channel started to be turned into a transportation waterway in 2004, when it breached on 11 treaties and international conventions.

The Ukrainian plan is to deepen and widen the Bistroe Channel and dredge 11 high river floors lying between the cities of Vilcovo and Reni. The first section of the project, which is nine kilometers long, was inaugurated in August 2004, in spite of many international protests. The second part of the project - some 153 kilometers long - is due to be completed by 2008.

Since diplomacy seemed to not work, Romania started to draft a plan for counteracting the Ukrainian actions on the ground. The plan was designed by the Institute for Research & Development Danube Delta, and presented by its manager, Romulus Stiuca, and the Danube Delta Governor, Virgil Munteanu.

The Romanian Executive is against any bidding by the Ukrainian government for dredging the second part of its project. "I stated from the very beginning my concern regarding the impact of the Bistroe Channel on the Danube Delta and my disapproval for it," said PM Calin Pope