Ponta’s ultimatum had the PNL start the meeting. Antonescu: The Roşca Stănescu episode is closed. There is no crisis in the USL anymore

PNL members say that in the today’s meeting of the party, they will decide the fate of their colleague Sorin Roşca Stănescu, although, for the record, the leader of the party had said that the SRS topic was closed and that the meeting had nothing to do with the Union.

PNL leader, Crin Antonescu, stated Monday upon his arrival at the Liberals meeting that the “episode Roşca Stănescu was closed” "and that in his opinion there was no crisis in the USL anymore.

‘No, not in my opinion (there is no crisis in the USL - editor’s note). If you are referring to the Rosca Stănescu episode, I’ve told you at the time that it is a closed subject’, Antonescu stated

Moreover,  Antonescu specified that in the PNL meeting held Monday with the executive vice-presidents, no political decision will be made, that was the duty of the Political Permanent Bureau of the party.

Asked if Victor Ponta announced him he had given up his requirement to have Roşca Stănescu punished or whether he had hinted on it, the liberal leader replied.

‘It seems to me that, after the talks we’ve had, after the statements the Premier made, after the statements the executive chairman of the PSD , Mr. Dragnea made – I have seen it last night too – I believe that things are very, very clear for everybody, no matter how hard some would understand ’, the PNL leader stated.

According to Antonescu, Sorin Roşca Stănescu hasn’t tried to resign from the party.

A PNL meeting on the topic of the crisis within the USL is to be held Monday morning, the president of the party summoned the party’s executive vice-presidents . Puiu Haşotti and Eduard Hellvig will also attend the meeting.

The main topic for discussion is Sorin Roşca Stănescu’s status, considering that the ultimatum given by PM Victor Ponta expires today. The PSD leader asked that SRS be expelled from the PNL.

Sunday night, the leader of the PSD senators, Ilie Sarbu warned that the Social Liberal Union would break up if the alliance did not expel Monday the PNL senator Sorin Rosca Stanescu.

The two USL co-presidents Crin Antonescu and Victor Ponta, have met Wednesday evening to hold a discussion whereby the PM would have asked his political partner to expel senator Sorin Roşca Stănescu out of the PNL, after the scandal in the Barsan case.

PNL president, Crin Antonescu says he wouldn’t hear of it.

Moreover, the Liberals leader stated Thursday that the PNL members disavowed some of the statements made by PNL senator Sorin Roşca Stănescu concerning the PSD, warning that if they kept breaching the USL protocol they would have to resign from the party.

PM Victor Ponta stated Wednesday at the end of the USL meeting that there was a ‘serious issue ’ within the Union concerning the PNL senator Sorin Roşca Stănescu.

The Liberal senators who resigned the Investigation Commission of judge Corneliu Barsan’s case states that their action has been a means to protest against the attempt of the PSD majority in the Commission to cover up a breach of the diplomatic immunity of the Romanian magistrate at ECHR

The three (SRS, Ciorbea, Ilieşiu) have showed that their gesture to resign the comission had the support  of PNL president, Crin Antonescu, and even if later talks with the Senate will decide on their replacement , from the PNL there aren’t any more PMs willing to take up the job in the commission.

The investigation commission has been set up April 2013 to review the case of the ECHR judge Corneliu Bârsan conversations interception.