News from Bulgaria / Nov. 13, 95

From: bulgaria@access1.digex.net (Embassy of Bulgaria)

Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Directory

EMBASSY OF BULGARIA - WASHINGTON D.C.

BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY

BULLETIN OF NEWS FROM BULGARIA

CONTENTS

[01] RULING SOCIALISTS CONFIRM THEIR LOCAL ELECTIONS

Sofia, November 12 (Kiril Vulchev of BTA) - In the wake of today's run-off elections, the largest opposition formation - the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), retained the mayoral offices in Bulgaria's three biggest cities. The ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) confirmed its overall victory at the local elections since preliminary returns show that it won the majority of the 115 run-off elections for municipal mayors and of the nearly 440 mayoral runoffs. An average of 50 per cent of the voters went to the second round polls today, Central Electoral Commission (CEC) Spokesperson Ralitsa Negentsova said. In the second ballot in Sofia UDF candidate economist Stefan Sofiyanski, 43, won a landslide victory against BSP-supported banker Ventsislav Yossifov, 48. According to preliminary results, Sofiyanski polled about 57 per cent of the vote, against about 43 per cent, garnered by Yossifov. At the October 29 first round election, Sofiyanski received 44.14 per cent of the vote, against 32.64 per cent polled by Yossifov. The outgoing Sofia mayor Alexander Yanchoulev was elected in 1991 on the UDF ballot already at the first round election. Sofiyanski won despite the blow which the "24 Chassa" daily dealt to him by saying that he was a turncoat communist. "24 Chassa" has the largest circulation among the national dailies; it is close to Yossifov. "24 Chassa" and the "168 Chassa" weekly, which are owned by the same pressgroup, published a facsimile of Sofiyanski's 1984 membership card in the Bulgarian communist party. The press wrote that Sofiyanski swore by his three daughters that he was not a member of the communist party. Today, he promised "to make [his] best so that the forgers get what they deserve". The BSP leadership and BSP leader Zhan Videnov personally denied to have been involved in the discrediting campaign against Sofiyanski. "Zhan Videnov told a blatant lie when he said that the BSP leadership had nothing to do with the publication against Sofiyanski, as the fax message which contained the facsimile of the forged membership card was sent from the press office of BSP headquarters," UDF leader Ivan Kostov said. After the October 29 elections, UDF holds a majority in the Sofia municipal council. The mayor of Bulgaria's third biggest city, Varna (on the Black Sea), will again be the one nominated by UDF. Polling 51.48 per cent of the vote at Saturday's second ballot, incumbent mayor Hristo Kirchev, who is supported by all opposition forces, won against independent candidate Kiril Yordanov, who was supported by BSP and its coalition partners in the run-off election, and who received 48.52 per cent of the vote. Bulgaria's second biggest city Plovdiv (Southern Bulgaria) elected its mayor UDF candidate Spas Gurnevski, as early as the first round election. UDF won the mayoral office in Stara Zagora (Southern Bulgaria) at last Sunday's second ballot. According to final returns of the regional electoral commission in Gabrovo (Central Bulgaria), UDF candidate Nikolai Dachev won the mayoral race polling 50.4 per cent of the vote.

Despite the fact that the Socialists again failed to win the mayoral offices in the bigger cities, the second ballot confirmed their overall victory at the local elections. Early projections after the second ballot and the final results of the first round elections show that BSP and its coalition partners win the mayoralties in 21 out of the 27 former district centres, i.e. cities with population of over 50,000. The BSP gains a sweeping victory in 11 out of the 16 runoffs held in such cities. At the last local elections held in 1991, UDF won the mayoral offices in 22 district centres, while BSP managed to gain only three mayoralties. The second ballot election in Kurdjali (Southern Bulgaria), where the incumbent mayor is of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, (MRF, of the ethnic Turks), proves the most difficult to predict. Contender of the MRF's present candidate Rassim Moussa in the run-off election is Dr Georgi Georgiev, who is supported by the Socialists. According to 41 per cent of the tally sheets processed in Kurdjali so far, Moussa polls 62 per cent of the vote, CEC Spokesperson Iliana Rizova said. Preliminary projections show that about 74 per cent of the voters in Kurdjali went to the polls, while there are polling stations where voter turnout was 100 per cent. According to early returns, the Socialists win by a wide margin at the second round elections in most of the smaller population centres. BSP leader Zhan Videnov, who was appointed Prime Minister in January 1995, described the elections as a great success for the BSP's coalition. Videnov stressed that the Socialists hold an absolute majority in half of this country's municipal councils, and a plurality in another 25 per cent of them. "We expect to win at least half of the mayoral runoffs," Videnov said. He stressed further that the Socialists' support for banker Yossifov was agreed on by the BSP Sofia structure, and that all the other BSP candidacies for the mayoral races were decided by the respective local BSP structures. According to UDF, in many places the elections were not conducted in accordance to the law and in a civilized and democratic manner, UDF leader Kostov told a news conference. In Kostov's view, the status of the state television was brazenly violated in favour of BSP. "They even dared to include police chiefs in the election campaign in Kurdjali," Kostov said. "We will be glad if MRF wins, despite all the things that BSP did in Kurdjali," the UDF leader said. According to Kostov, panic and hysterics have seized BSP because it lost in the major cities. The leaders of the agrarians and democrats of the second largest opposition coalition in Parliament, the Popular Union, Anastasia Moser and Stefan Savov recalled that, in comparison to the December 1994 parliamentary elections, the Union won twice as much votes and got nearly 13 per cent of the municipal councillors poll on October 29. Moser and Savov stressed the decisive support which Popular Union Sofia mayoral candidate Reneta Indjova lent to Sofiyanski. After the first round election, Indjova withdrew in favour of him. Moser stressed that the success which the new communist party scored in several small population centres, as well as the establishment last week of a new Communist International in Sofia, should not be overlooked. Despite the efforts on the part of 30 parties, of Prime Minister Videnov, of National Assembly Chairman Blagovest Sendov for their candidates' victory, we won in Kurdjali, Yunal Lyutfi of the MRF leadership said, doing nothing to conceal his satisfaction. According to Lyutfi, MRF won the first round mayoral elections in 10 municipalities, and in another 16 at the second ballot. MRF leader Ahmed Dogan said that he personally supervised the entire election campaign in Kurdjali. He expressed his gratitude to the parties which supported the MRF candidate in Kurdjali, stressing that thanks to the assistance which UDF, the Popular Union and other parties in the town provided for Moussa's candidacy, Kurdjali managed to avert the danger of voting on an ethnic principle. "We keep our local positions and expand our presence in regions with traditional BSP influence," Dogan said. George Ganchev, leader of the fifth political force in Parliament, the Bulgarian Business Bloc (BBB), criticized both BSP and UDF for their mayoral candidates. Ganchev described UDF's policy in Kurdjali as "an act of treason". "We did not support BSP because we oppose the [Russian] 'All the power to the soviets' slogan," Ganchev said about BBB's support for the opposition's candidates in the big cities' mayoral races.

[02] BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ZHELYU ZHELEV ADDRESSES EUROPE FORUM BERLIN

Berlin, November 10 - In an address to Europe Forum Berlin 1995, Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev welcomed the idea of senior politicians, scientists and cultural and media figures meeting to exchange ideas for the common future of Europe, and establish real links between the nations and personalities engaged in this original endeavour, the European Union, "helping avert the danger of new divisions." Zhelev said he valued highly the message of one of the greatest writers of our time, Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andric, who believes that of all things created by humanity, most valuable are bridges: a symbol of man's yearning to reach out to a fellow being. The specific prototype of this symbol was the bridge on the Drina; it has now been destroyed, which is also symbolic, Zhelev said. Turning from symbol to reality, one can say that today's bridges are infrastructure projects, Zhelev said. There is a need for an advanced infrastructure, linking nations in the region in terms of transport, energy and telecommunications, the Bulgarian President says in his address. There is a need for an advanced infrastructure, connecting the Balkan nations and guaranteeing free communication between them, and joining the Balkans and the rest of Europe: Western, Central and Eastern, Zhelev said. According to him, the Balkan nations have no alternative but follow to a large degree the model which Western Europe implemented after World War II, seeking economic, political and military unification and creating conditions for free movement of people, goods, capital, ideas, technology, etc., thus making borders symbolic. Isolationism in all its forms must be avoided. It breeds alienation, suspicion and mistrust, which in turn spark xenophobia, intolerance and hostility; from there, it is but a step to armed clashes and military conflict, said the Bulgarian President. "I still believe that if the Yugoslav Federation in 1991 had not been isolated from European structures such as the Council of Europe, European Union, Western European Union, NATO, and even the Conventional Armed Forces In Europe Treaty, the split could have taken place in a more civilized way. At any rate, the tragedy we have been witnessing over the past four years could have been averted. Europe simply would not have allowed it to happen; the price would have been too high," Zhelev went on to say. According to him, European leaders for a long time failed to perceive the deep roots of the conflict in former Yugoslavia, and tried to settle it with traditional tools of diplomacy and the UNPROFOR peace-keeping mission, but these attempts "always proved inadequate and palliative, as they sought to eliminate the outcome, rather than cause, of conflict," said Zhelev. "That is why the behavior of the blue helmets recalls that of a fire brigade rushing to put down the conflict," he said. "I am making these critical remarks with all due respect and gratitude to the efforts and victims of all countries participating in the UNPROFOR," he added. "I am happy an ever increasing number of politicians across the world and particularly in the Balkans are beginning to understand the need for a comprehensive and long-term political strategy [...] targeting the development of an advanced communications and energy infrastructure," President Zhelev said further. He believes that instead of placing all kinds of barriers to the new democracies, such as burdensome visa requirements, the West is interested in helping these countries quickly rebuild their economies, and develop reliable internal security and border control systems. According to Zhelev, the West is vitally interested in helping the countries in transition combat organized crime, mafia structures, terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and illegal arms trade. President Zhelev warned against a one-sided view of European integration. He believes it is a process in which each side (the EU and would-be members) should cover its part of the road to ensure success.

[03] PRESIDENT ZHELEV RETURNS FROM BERLIN

Sofia, November 11 - Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev returned form Berlin late this afternoon. The Head of State praised as very useful his participation in the Berlin Europe Forum, which discussed key political and economic aspects of the European integration. In his address to the forum, Zhelev highlighted the need for an advanced infrastructure, connecting the Balkan nations and guaranteeing free communication between them, and joining the Balkans and the rest of Europe. The Bulgarian Head of State declined to answer journalists' questions about internal political issues. At the Berlin forum, Zhelev met with German Federal President Roman Herzog. The Bulgarian Head of State extended his thanks for the German leadership's direct commitment to the supply of spare parts for the Bulgarian army, BTA correspondent to Berlin Borislav Kostourkov reported today. The German side promised that it will continue providing this type of aid in future by supplying to Bulgaria of equipment from the former national army of the former German Democratic Republic. German Federal President Herzog promised to pay an official visit to Bulgaria in the early summer of 1996 at the latest. Zhelev also met with European Commission President Jacques Santer, who accepted his invitation to visit Bulgaria in the near future. The concrete date of Santer's visit will be agreed through diplomatic channels. Zhelev expressed his gratitude for the support on the part of the European Commission for the East- West corridor. The European Commission's support for the project was demonstrated by European Commissioner Hans van den Broek's attending the signing of the declaration by the four Balkan heads of state in New York. Santer stressed that the European Commission will continue to support the project in future. The East-West corridor is considered an important initiative as the European Union (EU) assesses it as a very constructive idea. Zhelev and Santer will resume their talks during the December 10 summit of EU member-states and associated countries which will take place in Madrid.

[04] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GEORGI PIRINSKI IN BERLIN

Berlin, November 10 - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski, in Berlin in connection with Europe Forum Berlin 1995, today met with the Minister President of the federal state of Brandenburg Manfred Stolpe and the mayor of Berlin Eberhard Diepgen. Pirinski and Stolpe discussed Brandenburg's role in the restoration of close relations between Bulgaria and Germany in economy and other fields of sociopolitical life, and the encouragement of business relations between specific partners. The two agreed that the sides should build on the tradition of bilateral cooperation. The Brandenburg Minister President shared and fully supported the Bulgarian Foreign Minister's wish to speed up cooperation in infrastructure. A special effort should be made to develop trans-European infrastructure networks in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, to help these regions integrate into the rest of Europe, boosting large-scale cooperation. The building of Corridor No 4, linking Brandenburg with Bulgaria and ultimately the Middle East, is a priority for the German state. A delegation of the Bulgarian Parliament's Committee on Power Engineering will soon visit Brandenburg, to discuss heat power generation on the basis of low- calory coal. Brandenburg industry faces similar problems in that field as the Maritsa Iztok thermal power plant in Southeastern Bulgaria. Also participating in the working breakfast were Bulgarian Ambassador to Germany Stoyan Stalev and the Head of the Bulgarian diplomatic office in Berlin Peter Chaoushev. At the end of the meeting Pirinski reiterated an invitation of the Bulgarian Government for a Brandenburg delegation led by Stolpe to visit this country in early 1996. It would be a logical and desirable step for that state to open a mission in Bulgaria similarly to Saxony-Anhalt. The meeting between Bulgarian Foreign Minister Pirinski and Berlin mayor Eberhard Diepgen lasted nearly an hour. Responding to Diepgen's interest in the development of political processes in Bulgaria, Pirinski said much has changed to the better over the past six years but time has brought to the fore the complexity of problems facing countries in transition. The Berlin mayor said Germany recognizes the stabilizing effect that Bulgaria's balancing and responsible foreign policy has on the situation in the region. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister said in his turn that a cornerstone for Bulgaria's consistent foreign policy is the desire to maintain and develop constructive relations with all neighbouring countries. "We should pool efforts to find positive solution to the problems history has left us," Pirinski also said. The talks focused on the integration processes in Europe and Southeastern Europe's affiliation to them. Infrastructure is one of the main problems. Eberhard Diepgen fully agreed that there is an imbalance on an all-European scale in the North-South direction. That is why it is necessary to develop Northwest-Southeast and East-West communications. The two sides also discussed issues related to the conflict on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and the prospects after its expected peaceful solution. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Pirinski stressed Bulgaria's wish to take part in the postwar reconstruction of the former Yugoslavia. But this wish should not be viewed as some partial compensation for the enormous losses sustained by Bulgaria in observing the Yugoembargo but as a recognition of this country's stabilizing role and, naturally as an opportunity for economic benefits.

[05] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PIRINSKI RETURNS

Upon his arrival in Sofia today, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski expressed his satisfaction with his visits to Strasbourg and Berlin. Pirinski attended the 97th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and the Europe Forum Berlin 1995 international conference in Berlin. In Strasbourg and Berlin, Pirinski set forth the Government's position on the European infrastructure projects. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister stressed his meeting with his Macedonian counterpart Stevo Crvenkovski in Strasbourg, during which the Macedonian side expressed strong willingness that the two countries overcome the recent standstill in their relations and intensify them. As regards the problems related to Bulgaria's association and integration in the European Union, Pirinski's meeting with European Commissioner in charge of external relations Hans van den Broek demonstrated the European Commission's readiness for direct talks on the most urgent issues: the visa requirements and various problems, including trade and law. Pirinski said also that, at the Berlin Euroforum, former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers cited his speech on the trans-European networks and infrastructure as a viable direction of the all-European cooperation.

[06] BULGARIAN PM VIDENOV RECEIVES AUSTRIAN MINISTER

November 11 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhan Videnov today received Austrian Minister of Education and Culture Ms Elizabeth Gehrer, who is currently visiting Bulgaria, the Cabinet's press office said. The two officials assessed in positive terms the Bulgarian- Austrian cooperation in the field of education, the Cabinet's press office said further. The sides believe that exceptionally favourable opportunities open up for the joint work between both the two countries' education ministries and under the European Union's projects for professional training which include Bulgaria.The sides outlined the prospects for expanding the bilateral cooperation in the training of teaching staff for Bulgaria's schools of economics, as well as for training of teachers of law, economics and the engineering sciences. The two officials stressed that by stating their needs for qualified personnel and providing financial assistance for the programmes, the economic enterprises can play a key role in the training programmes' implementation, says the Cabinet's press release. Videnov stressed the necessity for training Bulgarian experts in the European structures' working mechanisms. Ms Gehrer expressed readiness that Austria will provide its educational expertise in the sphere of European integration.

[07] DEPUTY PM GECHEV'S MEETINGS IN TOKYO

November 10 - Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Roumen Gechev, who is on a five day visit to Tokyo, met today Japanese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry Ryutaro Hashimoto. The two sides discussed possibilities for boosting bilateral trade and economic contacts and technological cooperation. Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Hashimoto confirmed the USD 200 million Japanese credit line to Bulgaria and the idea for joint Bulgarian-Japanese participation in the so-called triangular operations in the post war reconstruction of the former Yugoslavia. Gechev also met Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono to whom he delivered a message from Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhan Videnov to Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. The message expresses satisfaction with cooperation between Bulgaria and Japan and reiterates the invitation to the Japanese Prime Minister to visit Bulgaria. The visit to EXIMBANK (The Export- Import Bank of Japan) revealed this bank's intentions to assist most actively the granting of a Finance and Economy Structural Adjustment Loan by the World Bank to Bulgaria and to send its experts with the group of the World Bank. This would make it possible for Japanese USD 50 million, co-financed by the World Bank, to reach Bulgaria. Gechev's meetings at the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO) confirmed new projects for assisting reform in Bulgaria.

[08] BUSINESS NEWS BRIEFS

November 12 - The Belgrade trade mission, whose visit to Bulgaria ended on November 9, will insist before the New York-based World Trade Centers Association that the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Bourgas be given the status of a world trade centre. The Belgrade mission was headed by the President of the Belgrade World Trade Centre, Dr. Sinisa Zaric. The proposal will be moved at the Association's meeting in Vienna in December.

Three Bulgarian state-run companies, Autoimpex, the Botevgrad, Western Bulgaria-based Chavdar firm, and the Shamot company of Elin Pelin (Western Bulgaria), were conferred prizes at the ninth awarding ceremony of the international European Quality Awards in Paris, the Bulgarian Embassy in Paris said. The private Sofia-based Inimex holding group won an award for its production businesses.

On November 9, the Moto-Pfohe company, authorized agent for Ford and Jaguar in Bulgaria, officially opened its new complex in Sofia which consists of a show room, trade and administrative centre, spare parts warehouse, service station and a shopping centre. Set up four years ago, Moto-Pfohe has so far sold a total of 5,361 cars. The company has representatives offices in 12 Bulgarian cities and employs 200 people across the country.

At the textile exposition in Frankfurt, the Dounavska Koprina plant in Rousse (Northern Bulgaria) concluded contracts for export of fabrics with 13 West European companies, the plant's chief Radka Docheva said upon her arrival from Germany. By the year's end, Dounavska Koprina will export 30 million leva-worth of production, while exports in the first quarter of 1996 will total 10 million leva. The plant gradually reestablishes its contacts with German, Finnish, Belgian and Dutch companies.

The medical equipment Shoumel company of Shoumen (Northeastern Bulgaria) was invited to take part in the international medical equipment exposition which will open in early December in Moscow. --