The NATO summit will start on the evening of April 2nd with a restricted dinner followed by the North-Atlantic Council, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the ISAF Meting on April 3rd, while the last day, April 4th will be dedicated to the NATO-Ukraine and NATO-Russia Councils.
Mr. Victor Micula, Secretary of State with the Ministry of Foreign Affaires, stated last Monday that the summit will be the greatest event ever organised in Romania but also the greatest summit in the history of the Alliance. Officials from the 26 member states and 23 partner states will be present together with representatives of important institutions and organisations such as the EU, the UN and the World Bank.
As a whole, there will be around 3,000 delegates and 3,500 journalists, said Mr. Victor Micula, adding that 24 Heads of States, 26 Prime Ministers and 87 officials having a minister’s rank have confirmed their attendance.
The organisers announced that 260 liaison officers have been trained starting October 2007. According to the Romanian official, they are young students coming from the Military Technical Academy, the Police Academy and the National Intelligence Academy who will assist the delegations during their stay in Romania, taking care of the various problems they might deal with.
66 Romanian diplomats currently active abroad, including 36 military attachés, will also be present in Romania during the summit, joining the liaison officers.
On the other hand, 150 volunteers coming from universities specialising in communication and political sciences shall cover the Media Centre after being part of an intensive training programme.
As for transport issues, Mr. Victor Micula explained that 465 vehicles shall be used, out of which 69 Mercedes limousines and 396 Ford cars (including 69 Ford Transit minibuses). A unique transport corridor shall be used, based on the experience gathered at the sommet de la francophonie, since it is a safe solution allowing the maintenance of traffic in the specific area. 12 scenarios related to the transportation means given to the official delegations have been established and some other 15 related to the transportation means given to the journalists, said Mr. Micula, adding that 440 buses and minibuses will be available for the transportation of the journalists and the delegations, together with 150 police cars. The minibuses carrying journalists will not use the security corridors.
14 hotels will be used for the accommodation of the officials; 2,951 rooms have already been booked. Some other 210 rooms are still available, the organisers being still confronted with many demands. The means of transportation used as shuttles shall be available around the hotels from March 31st until April 5th. A liaison officer shall also be permanently present in each hotel.
The organisers recommended 16 hotels for the journalists, with a total capacity of 1,800 rooms, and shuttles will also be organised there. A liaison officer shall be permanently present in these locations too.
The summit accreditation centre will be located in the Izvor Park and will have 8 desks. The distance between the accreditation centre and the media centre will be covered by 6 buses put at the disposal of the journalists by the organisers.
The Media Centre shall cover five floors of the Parliament Palace, and will be equipped with 1,000 work stations including 50 computers. The organisers are preparing 16 conference rooms including one room with a capacity of 400 seats and simultaneous translation in four languages, two rooms with 120 seats each and simultaneous translation in three languages and three rooms with 90 seats each, without translation. The other rooms have a capacity of 35 seats each.
In as much as security is concerned, Mr. Micula said that there are no reasons to worry about potential risks. According to him, 350 persons preparing the visit of the delegations participating to the Bucharest summit have already visited the premises. On the other hand, the organisers will cooperate with the military hospital, the emergency hospital, the university hospital, with Elias and Matei Balş hospitals, in case of any emergency situation.
The main locations used during the summit will be the Parliament Palace, the Athenaeum, the Cotroceni Palace, the Victoria Palace, the National History Museum, the National Art Museum, the National Military Circle.
When asked how many offices have been organised for the delegations, Mr. Micula explained that the organisers made available one office for each delegation; the member states of the Security Council requested additional offices that will be organised on the expense of the delegation requesting them. Further details will be made public after the summit.
(Source: Mediafax)
