Badalan se protivio pozivima Atanasiua za povlačenje iz Iraka, dok je Atanasiu tražio da se otpusti glavnokomandujući vojske jer je bio pod istragom za povezanost s jednim vojnim ugovorom za nabavke.
Badalan had resisted Atanasiu's calls for a pullout from Iraq, while Atanasiu demanded the army chief be sacked because he was under investigation in connection with an army supply contract.