All newspapers on Thursday cover the Bucharest 2008 NATO Summit and its first full day of events. Another newspaper reads about a possible EU decision to ban all non-euro cars which might affect some 3 million Romanians.
Cotidianul reports the main events in the first day of the NATO Summit and the main declarations on the hot issues on the agenda, like Afghanistan and Georgia's and Ukraine's possible offer to join the structures.
Apart from a deadlocked capital city where security forces have taken over the main road lanes, Bucharest has become the world's capital which hosts the most important heads of state in the world. And if that is not enough, Russia's President Vladimir Putin is to join today the Summit works.
However, even if communication seems to be the word of the day, police forces act before asking, Gandul reads. Tens of police officers burst into a building yesterday to find anti-NATO protesters with banners and leaflets.
Some of the protesters were taken into the police custody on no legal grounds, other than assuring the security of the Summit and were released only in the evening. However, journalists argue that the police have often times acted against citizen’s rights on grounds of security.
Romania Libera journalist Alexandra Radu has spend her last days together with the anti NATO protesters who, she argues, were just planning to have debates and watch anti-NATO movies. Another problem was signaled by foreign journalists who were not provided with the necessary equipment like audio headphones or translating facilities.
Romania libera reads that hundreds of citizens in Bucharest preferred to leave the city for the duration of the Summit, in mountain resorts. Cotidianul reads that hotels and local pensions have an 80% occupancy rate.
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