Romanian civil rights groups on Tuesday demanded the foreign minister resign for what they called racist remarks suggesting that some Gypsies, or Roma, were born criminals.

Teodor Baconschi's comments about the minority Roma suggested that criminality is biologicial, "an explanation that is typical for Nazi Germany when justifying the Holocaust," the groups said.

"It is unacceptable" that the person who represents Romania abroad uses "scientific explanations typical of the Middle Ages," the groups said.

Baconschi made the comments last week during a meeting with French state secretary Pierre Lellouche, saying "we have some physiological, natural problems of criminality among some of the Romanian communities" in France, "especially among the Roma."

The comments were initially posted on the ministry's Web site and later removed.

The Foreign Ministry denied Tuesday that Baconschi's comments had "a racist or ethnic tone."

Baconschi tried to imply there was a certain "natural" rate of criminality within any group of immigrants, the ministry said in a statement. But it acknowledged that the way he put it "did not adequately convey the message the minister wanted."

Romania has up to 2 million Gypsies, most of them living in poverty and facing deep discrimination.

After the country joined the European Union in 2007, Romanian citizens got the right to live in other EU member states. Some countries say they fear an influx of Romanians, especially Roma.

Lellouche said before visiting Romania that he wanted to get guarantees from the Romanian authorities that the Roma repatriated from France will not go back.

France had a program offering money to Romanian Roma who wanted to return home. But many ended up back in France.

Realitatea TV reported that 8,000 Roma were repatriated from France in 2009, but that two-thirds returned. Every adult received euro300 and each child received euro100 to come back to Romania.

Lellouche was quoted by Realitatea TV saying that "there are at least 20,000 to 30,000 Roma" from Romania in France, many of them having a very poor situation. He mentioned "sad cases" of children and panhandlers.