Freed Romanian Journalists Briefly Met Their Families

The three Romanian journalists held hostage in Iraq for 55 days arrived back home on Monday. But their reunion with their families was brief: they had only a few minutes for hugs and kisses, because Romanian authorities took them to an unknown location for debriefing and medical check-ups.

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Marie-Jeanne’s face shows she could not believe her eyes when she saw the huge number of people waiting for her and her colleague’s arrival at the airport

10 a.m.: The Romanian Presidency issues a press-release, informing that the plane taking back home Marie-Jeanne Ion, Sorin Miscoci and Ovidiu Ohanesian took off from Baghdad, at 9:16 a.m. local time, and will land at the Military Base, next to the Bucharest International Airport, at 2:45 p.m. Journalists are allowed to access the military base, but the three former hostages were not to make any statements prior to being "quarantined," the press-release stated.

1:30 p.m.: Over 100 journalists wait in front of the gates of the military base, waiting to be allowed access. After being screened by Secret Service officers and a 10-minute walk, the journalists finally arrive at the place on the tarmac designated for the media.

2:10 p.m.: Opposite the media group, on the runway, arrives the group of volunteers who demonstrated in University Square for the freedom of the Romanian journalists. The message on their T-shirts reads "volunteers for the freedom of the Romanian hostages." The journalists of Prima TV [where two of the former hostages work] carried a banner stating: "Welcome home! We love you!" Marie-Jeanne’s boyfriend joined the group of journalists carrying three white roses in his hand; he was not sure he will be able to hand her the flowers, and did not want to comment in any way her return home.

2:30 p.m.: Word has come that identical motorcades are parked on the other side of one of the hangars, which means that the authorities took steps to prevent us from finding out the actual location they will take the journalist to for medical check-ups and debriefing.

2:50 p.m.: One of the tires in the landing-gear explodes upon landing, but with no serious consequences. Finally, when the journalists emerge from the plane they are surrounded by relatives: parents hug their children; President Traian Basescu joins in, while PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu keeps a low profile. Basescu takes the hands of the journalists and lifts them all in the air, in a pose tailored for the front-page photo.

3 p.m.: The journalists’ reunion with their families comes to a close. They enter the hangar and then two identical motorcades leave the airport, to fold attempts for locating the actual destination of the journalists.