WikiLeaks: Teo Peter case might have affected cooperation between USA and Romania

The death of the Romanian musician Teo Peter in a car accident that involved an employee of the American embassy might have had repercussions on the cooperation between the United States and Romania, as stated in a confidential diplomatic message obtained by WikiLeaks and published in the online edition of The Guardian.

This message was sent on November 16, 2007, by the United States embassy to the American state department.

The imminent final offer of the USA Army to the family of former Romanian rock musician Teo Peter who died in 2004 in a car crash seems to have negative effects on the relation between the United States and Romania, said the American diplomatic message. The accident involved the former commander of marines from the Bucharest embassy. Peter was in a taxi when the car driven by Christopher R. VanGoethemen crashed into the taxi.

“If Teo Peter’s family makes public the information that the USA government reacted to the request for compensation of millions of USD with an offer of just USD 80,000, Romanian leaders and opinion leaders will react strongly and in an emotional way, questioning some of the main aspects of our bilateral partnership. President Basescu, Prime- Minister Tariceanu and other high-ranking politicians will definitely side with the family, even though backstage some American officials will try to calm the anticipated public rage. The public debates regarding what Romanians will consider as an offending low offer for Teo Peter’s family will lead mainly to public appeals with a potentially stronger popular support for the rapid withdrawal of the Romanian troops in Iraq. Also, the support within the Romanian Parliament and among public representatives for a new American presence at the Romanian- American military base near the Black Sea will decline, at least temporarily,” said Nicholas F. Taubman, the American ambassador at that time.

The message also said: “The date of November 21 when the lawyers of the Peter family will be announced is coming rapidly and it will almost coincide with the anniversary, on December 4, of the death of Teo Peter, on which occasion there have been anti-American movements in Romania. In short, we are bracing for a stormy negative impact on the bilaterial relation, caused by the continuous negative heritage of the death of this cultural symbol in Romania. Some of the effects on the American popularity and interests in Romania could be longstanding,” warned the American embassy in Bucharest.