Flanked by 10 American families and their adopted children, Michael Guest threatens:

Flanked by 10 American families and their adopted children, Michael Guest threatens:

"Romania's place is not in the Western structures, if it does not adopt a correct law for children"

The American comedy of caring for Romanian orphans continues

Mrs. Debra Murphy Scheumann, from the "Hope for Children" Foundation, one of the many American non-governmental organizations that support the resumption of international adoptions, presented, yesterday, at the residence of the US ambassador, 10 American families, who came with their adopted children from Romania, for to demonstrate that the little ones are not mistreated, destined for organ trafficking or pedophilia. On the steps of the sumptuous residence sat in a family photo parents and children whose broad smiles wanted to convey, in a symbolic form, the same message that Ambassador Michael Guest spoke in his official capacity: "This meeting it is important, because I firmly believe that we must do everything we can to soften the law" (n.n. - it is about the current provisions that make international adoption practically impossible). Because he is convinced that family values are the most important, Ambassador Guest had his mother and father with him, whom he thanked for taking care of him, and explained that the requests and the lobby he makes America for the resumption of international adoptions are not "a problem between the EU and the USA.

From the American side, the imperious requests of the EU to ban adoptions are not seen as homogeneous, since, says Mr. Ambassador, "there are many members of the EU who do not I agree with banning adoptions from Romania", and "the issue of adoptions is not part of the community acquis". The ambassador wanted to firmly state that the position of the American government is that "this law must be changed", "those who study the problem must keep your eyes open" and that both the EU and the US want to stop corruption in this area and create structures to prevent corruption.

Lynn Wetterberg, Linda Robak and Debra Scheumann presented the procedures at length which American families wishing to adopt Romanian children are subjected to (from analyzes and fingerprints, to the investigation of private life and economic conditions), the annual and continuous monitoring through which the American Adoption Agency verifies the life of these post-adoption children and the fact that they are deeply worried that at this moment adoptions from Romania have stopped. Mrs. Debra Scheumann, who runs the foundation - through which most of the children presented yesterday were fostered - brought Ancuta, Maita, Ana Maria and Vasile with her from the "Speranta copiilor" House she has in Botosani, children who are abandoned, but for whom, at this moment, the adoption procedure has been stopped. Mrs. Scheumann has taken care of 63 children in the 12 years since she has known Romania. Impressed by the tragic fate of the orphaned children, Mrs. Scheumann offered them the "Speranta copii" House in Botosani, where, currently, there are 12 children waiting to be adopted. Like Ambassador Guest and the representative of the NGO, I believe that if these children cannot be adopted in Romania, it is in their best interest to find their family across the border, rather than growing up in an institution.

"Some say that Romania is not capable of doing this (n.n. - stopping corruption in the adoption system), but I believe that Romania can adopt a fair law for children, otherwise Romania's place is not in the Western structures", emphasized Michael Guest. At yesterday's meeting, the PSD vice-president, Viorel Hrebenciuc, the Minister of Labor, Elena Dumitru, and the president of the ANPCA, Gabriela Coman, were present. Along with the intervention of the US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard L. Armitage, who appreciates the law on adoptions, voted by the Romanian Senate, as "a tragedy", the letter of the 23 members of the US Congress by which it is appreciated that the same law would contravene the Convention on in The Hague, yesterday's action, from the ambassador's residence, is part of the series of steps that the American administration, interested in the subject, is taking to get EU officials to make their position more flexible.

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Flancat de 10 familii americane si copiii lor infiati, Michael Guest ameninta:

"Locul Romaniei nu este in structurile occidentale, daca nu adopta o lege corecta pentru copii"

Comedia americana a grijii fata de orfanii Romaniei continua

D-na Debra Murphy Scheumann, de la Fundatia "Speranta copiilor", una dintre numeroasele organizatii neguvernamentale americane ce sustin reluarea adoptiilor internationale, a prezentat, ieri, la resedinta ambasadorului SUA, 10 familii americane, venite cu copiii lor infiati din Romania, pentru a demonstra ca micutii nu sunt maltratati, destinati traficului de organe ori pedofiliei. Pe treptele somptuoasei resedinte s-au asezat intr-o fotografie de familie parinti si copii al caror zambet larg dorea sa transmita, intr-o forma simbolica, acelasi mesaj pe care l-a rostit, in calitatea sa oficiala, ambasadorul Michael Guest: "Intalnirea aceasta este importanta, pentru ca eu cred cu putere ca trebuie sa facem tot ce putem pentru a indulci legea" (n.n. - este vorba despre actualele prevederi ce fac, practic, imposibila adoptia internationala). Pentru ca are convingerea ca valorile familiei sunt cele mai importante, ambasadorul Guest i-a avut alaturi pe mama si pe tatal sau, carora le-a multumit ca au avut grija de el, si a explicat ca solicitarile si lobby-ul pe care-l face America pentru reluarea adoptiilor internationale nu sunt "o problema intre UE si SUA. Dinspre partea americana, solicitarile imperioase ale UE de interzicere a adoptiilor nu se vad chiar atat de omogene, intrucat, spune dl. ambasador, "sunt multi membri ai UE care nu sunt de acord cu interzicerea adoptiilor din Romania", iar "problema adoptiilor nu face parte din acquis-ul comunitar". Ambasadorul a tinut sa precizeze ferm ca pozitia guvernului american este ca "aceasta lege trebuie schimbata", "cei care studiaza problema trebuie sa aiba ochii deschisi" si ca atat UE, cat si SUA doresc stoparea coruptiei in acest domeniu si crearea de structuri care sa impiedice coruptia. Lynn Wetterberg, Linda Robak si Debra Scheumann au prezentat pe larg procedurile la care sunt supuse familiile americane doritoare sa infieze copiii romani (de la analize si amprente, pana la cercetarea vietii private si a conditiilor economice), monitorizarea anuala si continua prin care Agentia americana pentru adoptii verifica viata acestor copii post-adoptie si faptul ca sunt profund ingrijorate ca in acest moment s-au stopat adoptiile din Romania. D-na Debra Scheumann, care conduce fundatia - prin intermediul careia au fost infiati majoritatea copiilor prezentati ieri - a adus cu sine, de la Casa "Speranta copiilor" pe care o are in Botosani, pe Ancuta, Maita, Ana Maria si Vasile, copii care sunt abandonati, dar carora, in acest moment, li s-a stopat procedura de adoptie. D-na Scheumann a primit in ingrijire 63 de copii in cei 12 ani de cand cunoaste Romania. Impresionata de destinul tragic al copiilor orfani, d-na Scheumann le-a oferit Casa "Speranta copiilor" din Botosani, unde, in prezent, se afla 12 copii ce asteapta sa fie infiati. Ca si ambasadorul Guest si reprezentanta ONG-ului, cred ca, daca in Romania acesti copii nu pot fi infiati, e spre binele lor sa-si gaseasca familia dincolo de granita, decat sa creasca intr-o institutie. "Unii spun ca Romania nu este capabila sa faca asta (n.n. - stoparea coruptiei in sistemul adoptiilor), dar eu cred ca Romania poate adopta o lege corecta pentru copii, altfel locul Romaniei nu este in structurile occidentale", a subliniat Michael Guest. La intalnirea de ieri au fost prezenti vicepresedintele PSD, Viorel Hrebenciuc, ministrul Muncii, Elena Dumitru, si presedintele ANPCA, Gabriela Coman. Alaturi de interventia adjunctului secretarului de stat american, Richard L. Armitage, care apreciaza legea adoptiilor, votata de Senatul Romaniei, ca pe "o tragedie", scrisoarea celor 23 de membri ai Congresului SUA prin care se apreciaza ca aceeasi lege ar contraveni Conventiei de la Haga, actiunea de ieri, de la resedinta ambasadorului, se inscrie in seria demersurilor pe care administratia americana, interesata de subiect, le face pentru a determina oficialii UE sa-si flexibilizeze pozitia.