Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - President Zhelyu Zhelev and Prime Minister Zhan Videnov, MPs and politicians attended this evening a commemoration in Vratsa (Northwestern Bulgaria) of the death of Botev and Bulgarian freedom fighters. Poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev died on June 2, 1876 in an attempt to organize an uprising against Ottoman rule. In his speech in Vratsa's central square President Zhelev said that Hristo Botev was the epitome of the hero who, undaunted, faces death fighting for the freedom of the fatherland. Zhelev said that on this day Bulgaria pays tribute to those who fell for its liberation: "those killed in the bloodbath of crushed uprisings, those who fell in the wars for Bulgaria's unification early in the 20th century, in violent political acts and military coups, those who died in prisons and concentration camps under dictatorial and totalitarian regimes". Earlier today President Zhelev visited an orphanage near Vratsa and gave out Children's Day presents.
Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski returned today from his trip to Brussels, where he took part in the Bulgaria-EU Association meeting, and Noordwijk (the Netherlands) where he attended the regular spring session of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council and a working meeting of US Secretary of State Warren Christopher with the leaders of the delegations of the central and eastern European countries. Upon his arrival, Pirinski expressed satisfaction with the three meetings. Foreign Minister Pirinski said that this was the first meeting of the Bulgaria-EU Association Council which "marked a new beginning". "The ministers of the European Union expressed satisfaction with the development of relations with Bulgaria so far, " Pirinski said. The two sides exchanged documents - a stand of the European Union and a statement by the Bulgarian side which described how the two sides see the development of their relations. According to Bulgaria's chief diplomat, the talks focused on the reforms and the assistance the EU is prepared to render in the future as well. They also gave prominence to Bulgaria's role as a stabilizing factor in the Balkans and its wish to promote regional cooperation. "For the first time the EU expressed readiness to assist the overcoming of the problems experienced by Bulgaria as a result of the observation of the Yugoembargo, " Foreign Minister Pirinski said. Dwelling on accession to the EU, Pirinski stressed the equal approach of the EU to the six associated countries, including Bulgaria, the advantages of Bulgaria's participation in the Central European free trade zone and the White Paper which, according to Pirinski, makes a positive evaluation of Bulgaria's programme for speeding up the process of approximating Bulgarian legislation to that of the European Union. Pirinski said that he is pleased with the participation in the session of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. "Bulgaria's stand sounded clearly even on the most acute problems discussed at the session - the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We have always been for a peaceful solution of the conflict, and we categorically denounce the killing of civilians or the taking of representatives of the UN forces hostage. These actions go far beyond the acceptable range of measures and steps for regulating the conflict, " Pirinski said. He paid special attention to the communique adopted at the meeting of the ministers of the NATO-member states which says that NATO expansion will be an integral part of the process of building the new European structure and will by no means lead to the drawing of new dividing lines. Every new accession will seek to consolidate security in Europe as a whole. "Before discussing and commenting NATO extension, people in Bulgaria should sit down and read what NATO says and then formulate their stands, " Pirinski said. Asked where Bulgaria stands in its relations with NATO among the remaining east European countries, the Bulgarian chief diplomat said that Bulgaria is ahead of the other countries in the implementation of the Partnership for Peace programme.
Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - Agriculture Minister Vassil Chichibaba today told the cabinet that land commissions have restored private ownership over a total of 5, 379, 500 ha of farm land. In the Dobroudja, Danubian, Misia and Thracian plains where grain production is highly advanced, 40.4% of the former owners got their land back. Another 2, 500 ha will be returned to their lawful owners after the end of the June-July harvesting. 570, 300 ha in 628 plots will be returned under the amended Land Act. Land division plans will be ready for 70.5% of the land due for restitution in intensive agriculture areas. In mountain and semi-mountain regions private ownership has been restored on 794, 500 ha.
The returning of the amended Land Act to the Constitutional Court to rule on its constitutionality might result in revising the law and the implementing regulations, which threatens to hold down the land reform, the Agriculture Minister says in his report.
- Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - Today's regular sitting of the cabinet approved a report by Finance Minister Dimiter Kostov on the implementation of projects financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) and the progress of drafting new projects. The Bulgarian governments and the World Bank over the recent years established the practice of making annual reviews of projects financed by the World Bank, the Finance Minister says in his report. Meetings of consultative groups were held on a regular basis until 1994 when the Bank withdrew them unilaterally. Recently, the number of projects financed by the World Bank has risen markedly. There are now eight projects for a total of US$ 718 million in loans and co- financing for another US$ 237 million. The Bank also manages 12 grant aids from different donors. Joint teams are currently drawing up a document on specific problems arising from the projects, due to be discussed with the Bulgarian cabinet. The analysis of the relations with the World Bank was prompted by upcoming consultations this month with a commission of the World Bank. The commission will visit all ministries with projects for World Bank financing, including telecommunications, water supply, transport, environment protection, agriculture, power production. World Bank Resident Representative here John Wilton is leaving Bulgaria on June 23, said the cabinet's press office.
Sofia, June 1 (BTA) The Administrative and Territorial Division Bill, approved by the Cabinet today, marks the beginning of the administrative and territorial reform in this country, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction Doncho Konakchiev said at the Government press office today. The bill preserves the regions and municipalities as the basic administrative and territorial units in this country which are in their turn divided into boroughs and districts. The requirements for setting up a district in the large towns are: not less that 25, 000 residents and a complete infrastructure. Towns with a population of over 300, 000 will be divided into districts by special law. It will probably be moved by a group of MPs, Konakchiev said. The regions will be set up and abolished by law.
The regional administration will implement the state policy of local government and development and will defend the interests of the state and national security. The regions will help decentralize government functions, according to the bill. A municipality will cover one or more population centres, depending on the will of more than half of its residents expressed in a referendum. Konakchiev declined to project how many municipalities will emerge after this provision comes into force. According to him, they will be less than 500. Now there are 255 municipalities in Bulgaria without the Sofia ones. Today the Government also approved a bill amending the Local Self-Government and Local Administration Act. These amendments are aimed at removing some contradictions with other laws and at regulating the work of the municipalities, municipal ownership, etc., Konakchiev said.
- Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - Parliament today approved on first reading the Bulgarian Red Cross Society Bill. The Society was founded in 1878, the year of Bulgaria's liberation from Turkish domination. The bill regulates the activities of the Bulgarian Red Cross Society in times of peace and war. Representatives of all political forces spoke approvingly of the bill. The Prices Bill, which was also passed on first reading, sparked heated debates in the plenary chamber. Opposition MPs demanded that the bill be redrafted. In their view, the passing of this act presupposes centralized price formation which may result in market shortages and trigger off inflation. MPs of the Democratic Left pointed out the need of such an act but admitted the bill required further consideration. At present in Bulgaria there are three commodities with fixed prices - electricity, thermal energy and coal. The prices of 37 commodities and services are monitored by the Government.
The bill moved by the Government provides for government prices to be divided into fixed, ceiling and minimum. It mentions no concrete goods and services and this attracted the criticism of the opposition. The bill sets only the mechanism for regulating prices. The goods and services the prices of which are subject to regulation are to be determined by the Council of Ministers. Parliament voted on first reading a bill on the establishment of a "Rehabilitation" National Fund, moved by MPs of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces. The debates stressed the need for setting up this fund which would help solve the problems of disabled persons. However, the Budget Committee believes the bill to be quite extravagant from the budgetary point of view and creating conditions for uncontrolled leakage of funds. A bill on disabled persons has been moved in Parliament and today's debates called for its speedier passing.
- Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - Yet another pyramid crumbled in Varna (on the Black Sea) yesterday, "24 Chassa" reports. This is the Bulgarian- Russian firm Kris Ltd., which suspended payments, striking panic in its shareholders. The firm's manager is Sergei Nikolayevich Pogapov, 22, of Rostov-on-Don. The head office of the firm is in Toutrakan (on the Danube). The chief of the Varna office, Boris Borissov, has left the country, according to the daily.
Since mid-February the Optima Company has exported to Russia 5, 000 t of Bulgarian cigarettes with Russian excise duty stamps, writes the "Pari" daily. Optima President Rouben Houdoian said that negotiations are already under way on export of nearly 30, 000 t of cigarettes worth 70 million US dollars until the end of the year, the newspaper writes.
At a meeting of the EU Commission on Economic Affairs in Brussels, the President of the Agriculture Confederation Prof. Todor Pandov asked the PHARE Programme for one-year investment programmes geared to Bulgaria's needs and conditions rather than consulting services, writes "Troud." ECU 95 million were allocated for agriculture under the PHARE Programme for three years between 1990 and 1992, most of which have gone to pay EU experts for "consulting services." During the first year, part of the assistance arrived in the form of preparations and seeds which have been sold, Mr Pandov said.
The contract of the Elpida Company with Neftochim for delivery of 1 million t of crude will be probably cancelled, the papers write. Elpida 3 was supposed to deliver the quantities within one year, in 70, 000 t monthly consignments. The first cargo of crude should have arrived by May 1, but it did not. According to an express clause in the contract, it is automatically terminated by a default of delivery time.
The Plama Refinery is readying for restructuring that would allow it to produce petrol meeting European standards, writes "Troud." The refinery signed a contract with the SKL company of Magdeburg, Germany, for engineering in a possible adjustment. After the modernization, Plama will be producing one fifth of the country's needs.
Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - "The Democratic Left [the parliamentary group of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and its coalition partners] should have the common sense not to create the impression it is closing the door to NATO, " National Assembly Chairman Blagovest Sendov told a news conference today. Sendov, who was elected MP on the BSP list, said further that there should be no vague formulations of Bulgaria's stand on NATO. "If we show no interest towards the North-Atlantic Organization now, there may come a time when our candidacy would not be considered at all, " Sendov said. "On the other hand, " he said, "Bulgaria has already stated its position on NATO in a declaration Parliament adopted in 1993." The document expresses Bulgaria's desire to cooperate with and later accede to NATO and the West European Union. "Things are going smoothly now, Bulgaria is a sovereign state and should come out with carefully formulated stands on all issues, " Sendov said.
Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - The cabinet took measures to stiffen controls on trade in special products. Today it passed amendmeNts to the statutes of the Interdepartmental Council for the Military-Industrial Complex and National Mobilization Readiness and to the ordinance on the control on foreign trade in special products. The participation of commercial partnerships in international tenders for export or re-export of special products will be cleared by the Council. This will eliminate competition between Bulgarian companies and trade at dumping prices, Council Deputy Chairman Ivan Kolev said. Certificates for temporary export and import will also be introduced to make sure that distinction is made among the different consignments. A list was published of military and special products subject to licensing requirements. It includes some 320-330 types of weapons and gets the Bulgarian legislation closer to that of Western Europe, the US and some other countries, said Kolev.
The amendments to the ordinance provide for the introduction of restricted general licences for foreign trade. It differs from the effective general licences in that they authorize manufacturers to export only their products and import only goods to be used as inputs for their production. Kintex, Arminex, Teraton and Elmet Engineering are the four major state-run traders in special products that had their foreign trade licences extended. Licences were also granted to the Sopot, Lyaskovets, Kazanluk and Cherven Bryag military works. The licences of the other producers and traders has yet to be reviewed, Kolev said.
Sofia, June 1 (BTA) - The steps the Bulgarian Parliament and cabinet took for the protection of intellectual property are highly appreciated by top circles of the European recording industry, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Roumen Gechev told journalists. He returned from London where he and Socialists' floor leader Krassimir Premyanov attended a conference on protection of intellectual property. Observing copyright laws is in Bulgaria's interests because their violation harms Bulgarian producers in this business, Gechev told a special news conference in London. He reportedly stressed that protecting copyright improves Bulgaria's image in European Union member states. Gechev said the International Association of Recording Companies, organizer of the London news conference, voiced a readiness to help promote Bulgarian musicians abroad. The Bulgarian Prime Minister also said that British journalists were inquisitive about Bulgaria's success in reforming its intellectual property legislation within such short terms.