From Greg Milam, Sky News Europe Correspondent

"If we were able to organise the world's youth festival in 1950s I don't see any reason why we could not organise a NATO summit these days."

So says the president of Romania, Traian Basescu, ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Bucharest.

You just hope that he WAS joking.

Because when Mssrs Bush, Putin, Brown and 40 or so other world leaders roll into town, it might just be a tad bigger than even biggest youth festival.

It is a proud moment for the Romanian capital and it has gone to extraordinary and bizarre lengths to make sure it is ready for what is the country’s highest profile event ever.

Hundreds of city workers have been planting new flower beds, putting up new street signs and painting building facades.

More controversially they’ve also been clearing away one of the city’s other familiar attractions - the hundreds of stray dogs.

With protests expected, the security operation is staggering. Snipers, divers and chemical warfare teams have been brought in, fighter jets and warships are on stand-by, bins have been removed, sewers sealed off, whole road systems shut down and booze will be banned in some areas.

The city’s airports will be closed. And EVERYONE is worried that there won’t be enough toilet facilities.

It all adds a certain extra weirdness to one Europe’s, er, most unusual cities.

The summit will take place in the city’s Parliament Palace. The second biggest building on the planet (after the Pentagon) was the dream of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu but remained unfinished when he was ousted from power and executed in 1989.

When I first went to Bucharest in the summer of 1990 the palace was a focal point for people’s anger as chaos and uncertainty reigned and protests filled the streets.

It is now a kitsch and extravagant reminder of the Ceausescu years, his attempts to turn Bucharest into ‘little Paris’ while at the same time trying to rid the country of national debt.

That drive left the Romanian people in the dark ages and while the country is still beset by problems you have to admire the efforts it has made to modernise.

After all, it is less than 20 years since it emerged from that crushing communist-era rule.

The country is hoping the summit will showcase its charms to the world. There'll be 3,500 journalists there to spread the word.

Pity the Bucharest commuter though. Already one of Europe’s most congested cities, it is going to get a whole lot more clogged this week - as pensioner Florica Gheorghe put it: “We won’t have any peace until this is over.”

Comments

[t Apr 1, 2008 5:08:09 AM]

I like your patriotic, Petre, comments - however, you keep silent about the comunist concentration camps like Pitesti, and so many more... Yeah, and by the way - where are the "terrorists"? Or maybe you work for secret services ...

[Mariah, London Apr 1, 2008 1:56:41 AM]

With regards to Emil's comment above: " with B.Bardot and other losers hugging dogs in the streets, I guess ... "
I guess you are stuck in history as you do not seem to have realised that dogs are living and breathing beings and people who help them are knowledgeable in this area and therefore help the animals badly treated and left for nothing in many countries around the world. They are far from losers. Losers are those who can't see further then their own misconceptions.

[mihnea Mar 31, 2008 11:42:12 PM]

kinda one-handed, there, chief.. while they have gone to extra lengths to fix things for the summit, the appearance of backwardness that you get from reading your article is shameful.

and we're not backwards, we're just slightly retarded :)

[Simona Mar 31, 2008 9:39:25 AM]

I wish the author of this article would research before writing his article. Bucharest was called the 'Little Paris' during the 1930's, due to its tree-lined boulevards and "fin de siecle" architecture. It wasn't Ceausescu trying to give Bucharest this nickname...he was Romania's leader between 1965-1989. Do the math and don't write misleading information.

[Tudor, Romania Mar 31, 2008 9:27:20 AM]

We are indeed a wierd country full of wierd people, just look at the comments above. Why do you get so angry at a reasonably well written article?

Does it contain any false information? Does it paint a wrong picture of a Bucharest getting ready for the NATO summit?

No, it doesn't. I live in Bucharest and I've seen all the things the author describes. I even got my car lifted off the street on Saturday.

So, once again, why all this anger? Don't we still have stray dogs in Bucharest? Yes, we do. Have they been lifted off the streets these days a lot more than usual? Yes, they have. Are they plating trees and flowers? Yes, they are. Is Bucharest one of the most congested cities in Europe in terms of traffic? Trust me, it is.

And what in the world do Brancusi, the Ottoman Empire, Vlad Tepes and the Vatican have in common with this article? The guy was just painting a picture of Bucharest today, and one pretty close to reality!

Have a good summit indeed :) I for one will, I will probably be working from home for a couple of days

[Khalid Mar 31, 2008 4:46:24 AM]

One thing for sure, it wont be the same if Her Most Gracious Majesty The [Queen]is not in attendacne as [Another One Bites the Dust] But, we do like different challenges!

[Emil, Ankh-Morpork Mar 31, 2008 2:30:06 AM]

"Hundreds of city workers have been planting new flower beds, putting up new street signs and painting building facades."

??? that happens every spring ...

"one of the city’s other familiar attractions" ... it's still 1992 for you, with B.Bardot and other losers hugging dogs in the streets, I guess ...

I thought that Sky News is better than The Daily Mail ... guess I was wrong.

[Petre Filip Mar 30, 2008 5:03:15 PM]

Hello!

“If we were able to organize the world's youth festival in 1950s I don't see any reason why we could not organize a NATO summit these days." So says the president of Romania, Traian Basescu, but you can't taste this joke because you don't know him.
Better go visit the culture, at Targu Jiu, Constantin Brancusi, world's first modern sculptor, that you can admire at NY, London or Paris too! Or you can admire Maramures architecture with the world's highest wood made churches without using even only one Iron Nail!
By the way, Bucuresti is the world's first city with illuminated streets! At that time using oil processed by the world's first oil refinery at Ploiesti (situated at 60 Km North of Bucuresti), the refinery’s address strada Buna Vestire, nr. 174, owned by Mehedinţeanu brothers, since December 1856. The modern oil history start here, one year before The Pechelbronn oil field witch was active between 1857 -1970.
You can blame Ceausescu for what you know about him, but not for the Prague Spring 1968! Romania was the only one Eastern Europe country who didn’t sent tanks to join the Soviet Army in Prague!
You can find out Dracula vampire as author of the first documentary attestation of the Bucuresti city, the Walachia principis – his real name Vlad Tepes. You can see this document at University Place, in Bibescu Palace, today the Bucuresti History Museum. Vlad Tepes, was born in 1431 in the town of Sighisoara – one of the Europe’s oldest town architecture where people still living in. Sighisoara is not far from Sibiu – Hermannstadt, European Capital of Culture 2007! At that time Vlad Tepes leads Walachia’s Army to defend the country against the world biggest army at that time, Ottoman Empire’s Army! Fighting without support from allies, he gets the admiration of the Vatican! Talking about oil and army because is the NATO Summit!

Have a good Summit!
Petre Filip