The Romanian foreign ministry condemned Tuesday an attack by ultra-nationalists on the new US ambassador to Bucharest over his homosexuality.
"Intolerance and questioning someone's private life ... are against the values of democracy, human rights and individual freedom," the ministry said in a statement.
The reaction came after an ultra-nationalist group, Vatra Romaneasca (Romanian Cradle), wrote a letter to US President George W. Bush expressing its "disgust" at new US envoy Michael Guest's nomination.
Guest has made no secret of his homosexuality since arriving in the Romanian capital.
During the communist era, homosexual relations were punishable by imprisonment, but a government decree in July depenalized such relations between consenting adults -- BUCHAREST (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
