Ambassador Guest says no row between US and EU
⬤
public
Surrounded by Romanian children adopted by American families,
Ambassador Guest says no row between US and EU with "Romania caught in
the middle"
Corruption in the international adoptions system must be stopped
published in issue 3166 page 4 at 2004-05-07
Bucharest - Vasile, a "Millenium child" born on January 1st 2000, is a
pretty blond-haired boy who, under the protective and full of love
sights of his adoptive parents, Emily and Andy from Kansas City, was
playing yesterday on the wonderful green lawn of the Residence of the US
Ambassador.
Despite many other nice children were playing in the garden, each of
them with his or her initial sad story started in an orphanage, but
happily finalized as they have now the chance to grow in a family, I
chose Vasile's example simply because he has the same age with my little
son Radu-Cristian.
Displaying their happiness and blessing the fortune that made them
become a fulfilled family, Vasile, Emily and Andy, together with other
16 couples from the United States, out of which ten came together with
their children adopted from Romania, arrived to Bucharest in an attempt
to try to make the Romanian authorities aware to change what they
consider the "pending issues" in the adoption-related legislation, in
the sense to make it focus on the human side of each particular case,
while preventing corruption in the system.
Under the pressure of Baroness Emma Nicholson, the European Parliament's
rapporteur for Romania, following what the media named at the beginning
of this year "the scandal of international adoptions", the Government in
Bucharest drafted a law that was submitted to the Parliament, and
decided to stop the international adoptions.
"They are our gifts, we treasure them as they are priceless," Linda, a
single mother who adopted a child from a Romanian orphanage almost three
years ago, emphasized in front of the audience gathered on the US
residence lawn, while she was carefully holding against her, her 5-year
old daughter Laura. "We don't use our children as organ donors, they are
not abused," she continued, while Lynn, who adopted three daughters (all
of them with special needs) said she doesn't consider herself special
because she had such a fortune. "I'm not at all special, I just consider
myself blessed because my adopted daughters fulfilled my life".
Starting from her personal experience guided by the belief that "every
child deserves a family", Lynn, in order to offer a real picture of what
an international adoption really implies, made a brief presentation of
the process the interested families go through if they want to adopt
internationally.
A permanent screening of the personal life, social inquiries among
relatives and friends, inspections of the house and of the financial
situation of the family, compulsory participation to training courses
and programs, these are only some of the complicated procedures, much
more complicated than in the case of domestic adoptions, through which
an American family must go through before receiving the right to
internationally adopt a child.
For she, as well as for all the other families that adopted children
from Romania, (falling in love with Romania, as admitted by many of
them), and that participated yesterday at the reception organized by
Michael Guest, the US Ambassador to Bucharest, it's crucial to help
their children to not forget their roots. "It is very important to us to
maintain our children's cultural heritage and to nurture it," said
Linda, Laura's mother.
"I stand with you hoping to soften a law that is not in the interest of
the Romanian abandoned children," Michael Guest stated. He explained
that his initiative to bring together Romanian-American children and
their adoptive families was aimed to show "the human face of these
families", which by assuming this responsibility to raise children from
this country contribute to build bridges of souls between the United
States of America and Romania.
In the presence of his mum and dad (see picture) who are not for the
first time in Romania, Michael Guest stressed how important families are
for the children's education and preparations for the future life.
"Institutions give care and assistance to the abandoned children, but
families give more values, support and care, discipline and guidance in
the life," the US Ambassador underlined.
Hailing the presence at the yesterday's gathering of EU's
representatives, such as the Spanish Ambassador to Bucharest, Jesus
Atienza, Michael Guest denied any row over the international adoptions
between the United States and the European Union with Romania "caught in
the middle". He named these allegations "simply untrue" and continued:
"The EU, like our Government wants very much to stop corruption in the
system. We would like to see an adoption law implemented here without
corruption and in the interest of the children.
"I believe Romania's place is in the Western structures and that with
the help of the US and EU, Romania will go in the Western structures,"
Michael Guest concluded.
Smiling as he was seeing such many faces of happy children in the
beautiful garden of his residence, Michael Guest pleaded in favour of
the children's need to raise in a permanent family environment. He also
told the audience that all the abandoned children in Romania deserve the
chance to raise in a family. "If they can raise in Romania it's very
important, if no, why are they denied the chance to raise in an American
family?", the Ambassador rhetorically asked in front of his guests,
among who Viorel Hrebenciuc, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies
was also present.
The US Ambassador praised the progress made by Romania so far in the
field of international adoptions and commended the Romanian Government
for its determination to find the most appropriate solutions for this
very sensitive issue.
When asked by a journalist if he would adopt an abandoned child from
Romania, having in mind his personal and active involvement in this
issue, Michael Guest said that he doesn't see himself in such a
position, because of his profession that keeps him very much busy and
out of home, preventing him from the duties of a parent.
by Gabriela Folcut
(C) 2000-2003 Nine o'Clock
Ambassador Guest says no row between US and EU with "Romania caught in
the middle"
Corruption in the international adoptions system must be stopped
published in issue 3166 page 4 at 2004-05-07
Bucharest - Vasile, a "Millenium child" born on January 1st 2000, is a
pretty blond-haired boy who, under the protective and full of love
sights of his adoptive parents, Emily and Andy from Kansas City, was
playing yesterday on the wonderful green lawn of the Residence of the US
Ambassador.
Despite many other nice children were playing in the garden, each of
them with his or her initial sad story started in an orphanage, but
happily finalized as they have now the chance to grow in a family, I
chose Vasile's example simply because he has the same age with my little
son Radu-Cristian.
Displaying their happiness and blessing the fortune that made them
become a fulfilled family, Vasile, Emily and Andy, together with other
16 couples from the United States, out of which ten came together with
their children adopted from Romania, arrived to Bucharest in an attempt
to try to make the Romanian authorities aware to change what they
consider the "pending issues" in the adoption-related legislation, in
the sense to make it focus on the human side of each particular case,
while preventing corruption in the system.
Under the pressure of Baroness Emma Nicholson, the European Parliament's
rapporteur for Romania, following what the media named at the beginning
of this year "the scandal of international adoptions", the Government in
Bucharest drafted a law that was submitted to the Parliament, and
decided to stop the international adoptions.
"They are our gifts, we treasure them as they are priceless," Linda, a
single mother who adopted a child from a Romanian orphanage almost three
years ago, emphasized in front of the audience gathered on the US
residence lawn, while she was carefully holding against her, her 5-year
old daughter Laura. "We don't use our children as organ donors, they are
not abused," she continued, while Lynn, who adopted three daughters (all
of them with special needs) said she doesn't consider herself special
because she had such a fortune. "I'm not at all special, I just consider
myself blessed because my adopted daughters fulfilled my life".
Starting from her personal experience guided by the belief that "every
child deserves a family", Lynn, in order to offer a real picture of what
an international adoption really implies, made a brief presentation of
the process the interested families go through if they want to adopt
internationally.
A permanent screening of the personal life, social inquiries among
relatives and friends, inspections of the house and of the financial
situation of the family, compulsory participation to training courses
and programs, these are only some of the complicated procedures, much
more complicated than in the case of domestic adoptions, through which
an American family must go through before receiving the right to
internationally adopt a child.
For she, as well as for all the other families that adopted children
from Romania, (falling in love with Romania, as admitted by many of
them), and that participated yesterday at the reception organized by
Michael Guest, the US Ambassador to Bucharest, it's crucial to help
their children to not forget their roots. "It is very important to us to
maintain our children's cultural heritage and to nurture it," said
Linda, Laura's mother.
"I stand with you hoping to soften a law that is not in the interest of
the Romanian abandoned children," Michael Guest stated. He explained
that his initiative to bring together Romanian-American children and
their adoptive families was aimed to show "the human face of these
families", which by assuming this responsibility to raise children from
this country contribute to build bridges of souls between the United
States of America and Romania.
In the presence of his mum and dad (see picture) who are not for the
first time in Romania, Michael Guest stressed how important families are
for the children's education and preparations for the future life.
"Institutions give care and assistance to the abandoned children, but
families give more values, support and care, discipline and guidance in
the life," the US Ambassador underlined.
Hailing the presence at the yesterday's gathering of EU's
representatives, such as the Spanish Ambassador to Bucharest, Jesus
Atienza, Michael Guest denied any row over the international adoptions
between the United States and the European Union with Romania "caught in
the middle". He named these allegations "simply untrue" and continued:
"The EU, like our Government wants very much to stop corruption in the
system. We would like to see an adoption law implemented here without
corruption and in the interest of the children.
"I believe Romania's place is in the Western structures and that with
the help of the US and EU, Romania will go in the Western structures,"
Michael Guest concluded.
Smiling as he was seeing such many faces of happy children in the
beautiful garden of his residence, Michael Guest pleaded in favour of
the children's need to raise in a permanent family environment. He also
told the audience that all the abandoned children in Romania deserve the
chance to raise in a family. "If they can raise in Romania it's very
important, if no, why are they denied the chance to raise in an American
family?", the Ambassador rhetorically asked in front of his guests,
among who Viorel Hrebenciuc, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies
was also present.
The US Ambassador praised the progress made by Romania so far in the
field of international adoptions and commended the Romanian Government
for its determination to find the most appropriate solutions for this
very sensitive issue.
When asked by a journalist if he would adopt an abandoned child from
Romania, having in mind his personal and active involvement in this
issue, Michael Guest said that he doesn't see himself in such a
position, because of his profession that keeps him very much busy and
out of home, preventing him from the duties of a parent.
by Gabriela Folcut
(C) 2000-2003 Nine o'Clock
2004 May 7