Irish inquiry into removal of two Roma children Greek puzzle: Bulgarian Roma Sashka Ruseva, 38, holds her son Atanas, 2, as she speaks to media outside her house in the town of Nikolaevo. Irish authorities have promised to review the circumstances under which two blonde, blue-eyed Roma children were removed from their families in different parts of the country this week, only to be returned when DNA testing confirmed their parentage. The government review was pledged by Justice Minister Alan Shatter, but a rights group called it inadequate, insisting that a full independent inquiry should scrutinise the episodes, which some Roma representatives called racial profiling. The removal and return of the children by Irish police followed the arrest of a Roma couple in central Greece on Monday over the suspected abduction of a mysterious blonde girl found living with them when Greek police raided an encampment. Resemblance: The four-year-old Maria, who was found living with a Roma couple in central Greece on October 21. The discovery raised alarms about human trafficking and illegal adoption rackets, heightening the glare on Roma populations in many parts of Europe. In another incident Athens police said on Friday they had arrested a Greek couple suspected of having purchased a Roma baby for €4000 ($5500). The couple, a 53-year-old man and his 48-year-old wife, told police they had received the baby girl, then only a few weeks old, from a Roma woman in March. The woman then unsuccessfully tried to register the baby as her own child. Private adoption is legal in Greece as long as money is not exchanged in the process. Greece's supreme court has ordered a general review of newborn registrations after the discovery of the blonde girl known as Maria exposed lax recording practices around the country permitting the misuse of state benefits. Maria's false parents are believed to have declared a total of 14 children to claim increased family support benefits. A Bulgarian woman has since admitted that Maria could be her daughter. Sasha Ruseva, 35, said she had given birth to a girl in Greece "several years ago" but had been forced to leave her baby behind because she could not afford to take her home. She denied she had been paid for her child. Pictures quickly emerged of her other children, showing that some bore a strong resemblance to Maria, with white-blonde hair, pale skin and clear eyes. In Ireland, there was widespread concern that public opinion had been tainted by the Greek case and that the children - a seven-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy - were removed from their families solely on the basis of claims that they did not look like Roma, who are generally dark-haired and olive-skinned, with brown eyes. Police said the protection of vulnerable children was of "paramount importance," but they would not elaborate on why they had removed the two Roma children. No arrests were made in either case, and there was no suggestion of abuse. Prime Minister Enda Kenny insisted the removals were a child welfare issue. "This should not be seen to be about any group or any minority," he said in Brussels, where he is attending a European Union meeting. This is about children, and there's always a balance to be struck if there are genuine fears about the health, welfare and safety of children. But Martin Collins, a director of Pavee Point, a rights group representing the Roma, who number an estimated 5000 in Ireland, said both cases showed "racial profiling in the extreme" and that the organisation wanted an independent inquiry. He said he feared more children who were not dark-skinned and brown-eyed "could be taken away, one after the other, for DNA test after DNA test. It's outrageous. It's despicable. Mr Shatter said the police had acted in good faith but that procedural changes might be needed. He said he expected a report within two weeks. "People should of course report to the authorities any reasonable concerns which they have about the safety of children," he said. However, it is important that no group or minority community is singled out for unwarranted attention, or, indeed, suspicion in relation to child protection issues. Most of the Roma in Ireland have arrived since 2007, when Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union. The Roma, also known as Gypsies, make up a significant minority in those two countries. Citizens of member states may travel freely within the EU, but in some countries membership does not confer an automatic right to work without official permission. Advocates for the Roma say work permits are almost impossible to obtain in Ireland, and many Roma do not qualify for even basic social protections. New York Times; Telegraph, London; AFP