New BBC Bureau will open in Moldova on March 7

Military of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian republic did not admit a group of journalists from BBC in the territory of the secessionist region on March 2, in presence of Ukrainian military observers, Russian military from peacekeeping forces and a representative of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the chief editor of the Romanian BBC Service, Petru Clej, stated to the Moldovan radio channel Antena C on Sunday. According to Clej, a group of journalists including the BBC-Romania chief editor tried on March 2 to visit the left bank of the Dniester river to produce a programme that should include opinions of the Chisinau authorities, Tiraspol administration and residents from the region. However, the journalists were stopped for 1.5 hours and had to turn back. A Moldovan peacekeeper invited them to go to Dorotcaia, but not to say that they are newsmen. However, the BBC group refused, Clej noted, because „we have no secret, we just wanted to cross and report on what is going on there, to speak with authorities, with people in order to mediate their viewpoint.” Even more, Clej noted that the BBC team only was obstructed to cross the dam that day, while other journalists were admitted. BBC covers many articles on Transnistria, Clej noted, as the borders of Europe will be at 100 kilometres from a regional conflict starting 2007 and the situation has worsened after enforcement of the new customs control procedures agreed with Moldova and Ukraine. He considers that the Dniester war did not end; it turned into a cold war of nerves. Petru Clej is on a visit to Chisinau where he will open a new BBC Bureau along with Lucio Mesquita, director of the America and Europe Department of BBC World Service, Razvan Scortea, director of the Romanian editorial staff, and Alexandru Cantir, head of the Chisinau Bureau of the Romanian Service, on March 7. BBC has started broadcasting Romanian-language programmes on September 15, 1939, with two weeks after the World War II started. The Romanian Service broadcasts news seven times a day and it broadcasts specialised programmes such as Arena, Discutia Saptaminii, Puterea Credintei, Dincolo de Prut, the 21:00 news that include news from Moldova in weekend. BBC broadcasts in 200 countries via 160 million antennas. The Dedeman hotel will host a news conference dedicated to the inauguration of the new BBC Bureau on March 7 at 10:00.