Romanian foreign minister resigns over spy claims

The foreign minister of Romania, Adrian Severin, has resigned after growing pressure on him to do so over his allegations that some unnamed party leaders and newspaper editors were foreign agents.

The Romanian president, Emil Constantinescu, said on Monday that the allegations -- made in a press interview three months ago -- were unfounded and Mr Severin would have to take political responsibility for the situation he had created.

At a news conference in Bucharest, Mr Severin said resignation was the only solution he could resort to, but he stood by his claims.

He is deputy leader of the Democratic Party, the second largest group in the four-party coalition government, which has proposed a former minister, Andrei Plesu to replace him.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service