Mrs Thatcher has sent her own message of support to the new Romanian president, Mr Iliescu.
She said the British people were full of admiration for the extraordinary courage of the Romanians and the government was ready to help in every way it could with the reconstruction of a democratic Romania.
In a separate message, The Foreign Secretary, Mr Douglas Hurd, said he looked forward to an excellent relationship between the two countries. The foreign office minister, Mr William Waldegrave, said that could be best achieved by bringing a swift end to the violence.
Speaking on the World at One here on Radio Four, Mr Waldegrave said the execution of the Ceausescus had been understandable given the danger of counter revolution. But he urged the Romanians to forget any thoughts of revenge and to return to the rule of law as soon as possible.