Remarks with Romanian President Ion Iliescu After Their Meeting

(5:05 p.m. EST)

SECRETARY POWELL: My great pleasure to receive the President. We had an excellent conversation and I had the opportunity to express my thanks once again to the President, and to the people of Romania through him, for the support they have provided to the United States, through some challenges in Afghanistan and Iraq, Romanians standing side by side alongside Coalition forces, Americans especially, in both of those places. We have an excellent relationship and cooperate in many areas and I just offer to the President my best wishes for his continued success and I know he looks forward to seeing the President tomorrow.

PRESIDENT ILIESCU: Thank you very much. It was a very open, very friendly dialogue. Secretary Colin Powell is a real special friend of Romania and we have appreciated his personal other contribution, but also we have appreciated the evolution of our bilateral relation, our partnership, on the bilateral basis, but also our participation in this general fight against terror, and also the cooperation in Iraq and Afghanistan, in our region, in the Balkans, and also our political, diplomatic relations. Now, we share the perspective, being a non-permanent member of the Security Council to have the more close contact cooperation. We thank very much the Administration in general, the Department in particular, and Colin Powell as being a very active supporter and friend of Romania. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY POWELL: I'd also like to thank the President for presenting me with the Star of Romania, the highest honor given to me by the recognition of, really, friendship between our two countries. Thank you for that, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT ILIESCU: Thank you very much.