Interim President: Russian newspaper interpreted statement about unification incorrectly

Interim President Mihai Ghimpu released a statement today, in which he tried to clarify statements recently made to Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, which quoted him as saying that Moldova will "never" unify with Romania.

Mr. Ghimpu notes that he told the paper that it is the ruling Alliance for European Integration that will not pursue unification. The Alliance is made up of five parties: the Liberal Democrats, the Liberals, the Democrats, the Moldova Noastra [Our Moldova] Alliance, and the Actiunea Europeana [European Action] Movement.

The Democrats are headed by Communist defector Marian Lupu and are the most centrist member of the coalition. Mr. Ghimpu was probably referring to the fact that the entire Alliance would not be able to agree on unification, especially while the Democrats are in it.

The interim President is most likely trying to do some damage control after his being quoted as saying that Moldova will "never" unify with Romania might have displeased the Liberal electorate (Mr. Ghimpu heads this party), which tends to be adamantly pro-Romanian. Since the Liberals have a few rivals on this part of the political spectrum - most notably Actiunea Europeana and the National Liberal Party - such statements are risky, especially close to early legislative elections.