Bucharest - Amid the ongoing political impasse towards setting up a new Romanian government, a joint international delegation left Bucharest on Friday without having a chance to assess prospects to help the country with an emergency credit. The joint group of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and European Commission would only return to take up talks once a government was in place, IMF delegation chief Jeffrey Franks said.
The joint group had come to Bucharest to assess Romania's financial needs and eventually to provide a promised 20 billion euros (29 billion dollars) in aid.
Romania urgently needs 3.5 billion euros in the next two months to cover its budget deficit and above all to cover wages and pensions.
Frank described as "slim" the prospects for a third IMF tranche of 1.5 billion euros being paid out in December.
EU mission chief Elena Flores said that likewise the next EU Commission tranche of about 1 billion euros would come at the outset of 2010 at the earlies.
The joint delegation had been in Bucharest to hold a review of how well Romania was meeting conditions set down for IMF aid. Two key conditions concerned reducing personnel costs and passing a budget for 2010.
For 2009, the Bucharest-IMF agreement was for Romania to limit its budget deficit to 7.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). But Franks said this is likely to be exceeded. The deficit could swell to 9 per cent in 2010, well over the agreed-on 5.9 per cent, he said.
Meanwhile President Traian Basescu began a new attempt to name a premier to set up a new government on Friday, proposing a local Bucharest district chief, Liviu Negoita.
The nomination came two days after Basescu's previous nominee, Lucian Croitoru, failed to gain the necessary backing in parliament.
If, as widely expected, the new nominee fails in a parliamentary vote, the Basescu could dissolve parliament and call new elections. But these could only take place after the scheduled November 22 presidential election.
Romania has been without a government since October 13, when the centrist cabinet of Premier Emil Boc lost a vote of confidence.
