News from Bulgaria / Nov. 16, 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] PRESIDENT ZHELEV ON AMBASSADORS

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - All ambassadors are presidential people, as no ambassador can be appointed or recalled without a presidential decree. This is in keeping with the Bulgarian Constitution and a Vienna convention of 1962, Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev said tonight in a televised interview. The interview was prompted by a discussion in the Bulgarian press about the replacement of Bulgarian ambassadors "at key missions abroad", focusing on whether they are presidential or Government proteges. In his interview, the President comments on the proposed changes and on aspects of Bulgarian foreign policy.

According to him, Bulgarian foreign policy had to undergo fundamental changes after 1989-1990. Its basic orientation wasc hanged from East to West, which entailed changes in aims, priorities, principles and style, the President said. It would have been impossible to promote new diplomacy and a new image of Bulgaria using the old regime's discredited cadres connected with Bulgarian and Soviet special services. These were the main reasons for the replacements of Bulgarian ambassadors in 1990 and 1991; personal, partisan and current policy concerns did not play a part, Zhelev emphasized.

Asked about the professionalism of Bulgarian ambassadors before the democratic changes in 1989, the Bulgarian President emphasized that allegations about the replacement of experienced and skilful diplomats with amateurs who damaged this country's reputation, are "comic and cynical". Bulgaria never had a professional diplomatic corps in the 45 years of Communist rule, as it never had a foreign policy, Zhelev said. "Bulgaria had the status of a colony ruled by the former Soviet Union," he said. The replacement of ambassadors after 1989 had to do with making Bulgaria different in the eyes of the world. This could only be done by people with a clean past, he also said.

President Zhelev said the post-Communist ambassadors may not have been the best possible people for the job, but they "completed a historic mission." They changed Bulgaria's image, integrated Bulgarians living abroad, and did their best for the conclusion of multilateral and bilateral treaties in all fields, for the integration of this country into European structures, the Council of Europe, the European Union, NATO, Partnership for Peace and the Western European Union.

Dwelling on his relations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Government as a whole, President Zhelev said he had always insisted that these relations be on a principled basis. President Zhelev told Foreign Minister Pirinski that he would not allow the work of ambassadors who have done a lot for this country to be discredited. "There are no appointments for life in a democratic country," Zhelev said. But in replacing Bulgarian diplomats abroad the President said he would insist on the preservation of the achievements of democracy in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian diplomats abroad should work in the name of Bulgaria and not in the name of institutions, political parties nor coalitions. The Bulgarian President recalled that this country is greatly counting on Europe's financial, political, scientific and technological support.

[02] WEU MEETING

Madrid, November 14 (BTA) Bulgaria's proposal to take steps for arms controls and confidence and security-building after a peaceful settlement of the Yugowar, has been included in the declaration of the Western European Union (WEU) ministers of foreign affairs and defence, who met in Madrid. The meeting was attended by ministers from the WEU's ten member countries and seventeen associate members, observers, and associate partners, including the Bulgarian Ministers of Foreign Affairs Georgi Pirinski and Defence Dimiter Pavlov.

Pirinski told the Bulgarian journalists accredited to the forum that in his address he expressed a regret the declaration did not adequately reflect the willingness of WEU nations to contribute to international efforts for reconstruction of the war-affected zones. A proposal for the international community to commit itself to a regional reconstruction plan was made by the Bulgarian and other delegations.

"We believe these proposals are fully consistent with views for achieving stability through economic measures and for crisis prevention and management, as formulated in the joint security guidelines," Pirinski said. "Bulgaria emphasized the importance of postwar reconstruction, above because of its desire for lasting regional security, and also because of its conviction it can make a considerable contribution to the success of such plans, while receiving a partial compensation for its cripling losses as a result of its enforcement of the sanctions," the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said.

The declaration of the Madrid meeting also contains texts drawn without the participation of associate partners.

Pirinski emphasized the importance of the White Paper on European security adopted by the meeting. According to him, all 27 countries represented at the meeting expressed through the declaration their respect for democratic values, human rights and peaceful settlement of problems. They shared an understanding of their common economic interest on a European and global scale, and of the need to ensure personal security for Europe's citizens.

Asked whether Russia is showing interest in the WEU, Foreign Minister Pirinski said that recently Russia has shown interest in broadening its contacts with the WEU. According to Pirinski, at the present stage the WEU is hardly ready for more than constructive dialogue. Defence Minister Pavlov told journalists that the measures undertaken by the WEU cannot be efficient without dialogue with Russia and Ukraine, something he stressed in his statement at the forum as well.

As regards the strengthening of the operative potential of the WEU, we highly appreciate the new possibilities for participation of the associated partners in this process, Defence Minister Pavlov said in his statement. A concrete expression of this is the decision of the Bulgarian Government to discuss its possible participation in future missions of the Petersburg Declaration type, the Defence Minister said. He informed the forum of the decision of the Bulgarian Government to provide information on forces suitable for such tasks and for WEU humanitarian operations. This decision, adopted by the Bulgarian Government last Thursday, is in response to an inquiry from the WEU, Pavlov said.

Bulgarian mass media reported that the Bulgarian side is ready to take part in humanitarian operations with a mechanized infantry battalion, six transport aircraft, two aircraft for delegations, four helicopters, a frigate, a transport ship and two groups for rendering medical aid and a topographic unit.

Defence Minister Pavlov said that an economic mechanism and concept are being drafted providing for such operations to be financed by the WEU but each side should be ready for financial participation. The first real step will be the WEU exercise scheduled to take place at the end of 1995 or the beginning of 1996.

[03] BULGARIA PROTESTS NIGERIA

Sofia, November 14 (BTA)

Bulgaria feels deep concern over the actions of the Nigerian authorities which led to the sentencing and execution of nine minority activists including renowned author Ken Saro-Wiwa, says a Foreign Ministry statement released here on Tuesday evening.

Bulgaria joins in the protest of the international community and calls for strict respect for democratic freedoms and human rights in Nigeria, the document says.

[04] LOCAL ELECTIONS RESULTS

The results from the weekend run-off local elections are still in the highlights of the press. The dailies cite figures released by the Central Electoral Committee (CEC) which show that the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) won 195 mayoral offices, the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the Popular Union together gained 16 positions, the ethnic Turks' Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - 26, the Bulgarian Business Bloc (BBB) - 2 and the Bulgarian Communist Party - 1.

The press quotes President Zhelyu Zhelev's address over the national television last night in which he congratulated the election winners and stressed the great responsibility they bear before the voters for settling the problems of the municipalities and the community centres.

"Douma", the daily of the BSP and the leftist "Zemya" quote a statement by BSP leader and Prime Minister Zhan Videnov in which he assesses the showing of the Democratic Left in the elections as a great success and a radical change towards more efficient participation in the structures of the government. "These results doom to failure all attempts at political destabilization of the country as regards the local administration," Videnov is quoted as saying.

The Left will rule in three-thirds of the municipalities, "Douma" writes in a leading story and runs a table with the election results in the former district capitals. According to the table, the opposition retained Varna, Gabrovo, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora and Sofia and the BSP won in all other former district capitals. One exception is the town of Kurdjali, where the MRF candidate has won, according to interim results. According to the press, however, the vote in this town may be voided. The Municipal electoral committee in Kurdjali was not in position to announce the results from the mayoral elections until last night over alerts for serious violations of the electoral law, "Douma" writes. "Police Investigates Manipulations in Kurdjali", "The Fatherland Party of Labour and the BSP Question Election Results in Kurdjali," "BSP to Challenge Legitimacy of Elections in Kurdjali", read headlines respectively in "Standart News", "Pari" and "Novinar". The municipal electoral committee has so far considered 20 appeals against large scale voting by people whose residence registration is irregular or who live in other municipalities, "Pari" says. The voting in Kurdjali was on political, rather than on ethnic principles, the opposition daily "Demokratsiya" says, quoting MRF leaders. At the same time the MRF leaders accuse the Socialists of fanning up a nationalist campaign. The daily quotes UDF leader Ivan Kostov as saying that the results in Kurdjali are particularly important for the democratic process in the Balkans. Following the aggressive ethnic propaganda of the BSP, had this party won the elections in the town, the ethnic peace in the region would have been endangered, Ivan Kostov is quoted as saying in "Demokratsiya". "We prevented the BSP from making a breakthrough in this region and I believe this established new type of relations between the opposition forces in the region," says MRF leader Ahmed Dogan, interviewed for "Continent". Dogan says that the MRF will govern together with its partners in the regions where the Movement's influence is hundred per cent. In his view the claims for invalidating of the elections in Kurdjali are unjustified. "Should this happen, I am convinced we shall win again," Ahmed Dogan says.

"My relations with the Government will be purely professional, rather than political," the new Sofia mayor Stefan Sofiyanski is quoted as saying in "Troud". He says he would withdraw the money of the municipal companies and of the Municipal Privatization Agency from First Private Bank, whose president is his elections rival Ventsislav Yossifov. "But I shall do this not because Ventsislav Yossifov was my opponent, but because I am not sure the funds are safe there," Sofiyanski says. Interviewed for "Continent", Sofiyanski says that his first move will be to have a meeting with the Sofia police, because it is his obligation to take care of the safety of the Sofianites.

The dailies report on the preliminary investigation launched by the Sofia Regional Prosecutor General's Office on the complaint of Stefan Sofiyanski against the "168 Hours" press group for having forged his membership in the former Bulgarian Communist Party.

[05] BUSINESS NEWS

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - "Standart News" quotes Deputy Prime Minister Roumen Gechev as saying that Bulgaria's gross domestic product will equal 10,000 million US dollars. Gechev expects that Japan will extend new loans to Bulgaria, the papers write.

The World Bank will probably deprive First Private Bank from the right to service the WB loan for private enterprises financing, "Standart News" says. At the moment WB experts are checking the bank's financial condition, the paper writes. The loan was extended more than two years ago. So far it has been serviced by First Private Bank and Raiffeisen bank (Bulgaria).

It is possible that the Topenergy Bulgarian-Russian Gas Partnership may get off to a false start, according to "Standart News". The reason is that the Russian principal shareholder, Gasprom, does not favour the fact that the majority of the Bulgarian quota is owned by the state.

The Shipyard in Varna started the construction of a 13,900 tonne ship for bulk cargo, "Pari" says. The vessel will be completed in early 1997, according to the plant's management. It has signed an agreement with Navigation Maritime Bulgare for the construction of three more ships.

The bulk of construction activities grew 2.5-fold compared with 1993, Radoslav Peshleevski, Chief of the General Administration of the Construction Corps (GACC), says in an extensive interview for "Pari". GACC resorted to signing contracts with foreign companies because there were no suitable projects to fulfil in Bulgaria. "It is a mistake to believe that GACC builders work mainly abroad," Peshleevski says. The work abroad accounts for only 5-6 per cent of the construction activities in Bulgaria, he states.

Negotiations on the preparation of the fourth session of the Bulgarian-Russian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation are starting today, "Douma" writes. The Bulgarian delegation is led by Deputy Prime Minister Kiril Tsochev. Trade with special production, shipping of spent fuel from the Kozlodoui N-plant back to Russia and provisions of bilateral agreements for oil, gas and wood will be on the agenda.

According to a signed commentary in "Zname", the daily of the Democratic Party, there are two major conclusions to be drawn from the elections: the first one is that the BSP relies mainly on the rural electorate, while the Democratic Opposition leans on the big cities; the second conclusion is that the young people have withdrawn into a world of their own and "do not care a damn about where their native country is going to". The opposition should thus strive to gain the countryside and the young people," the author says in conclusion.

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - "I am optimistic that Bulgaria and Russia will sign an agreement on the US$ 40 million Russia owes to the Bulgarian special production," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Economic Cooperation Kiril Tsochev said before his departure for Moscow this morning at the head of a Bulgarian governmental delegation. Tsochev said that Russia will settle its outstanding debt to Bulgaria through the supply of spare parts for this country's military aviation.

The Bulgarian governmental delegation will participate in the session of the Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental commission for special production.

The session will also discuss the cooperation in civilian and special production and the supply of 100 armoured personnel carriers and of 105 T-72 tanks, Tsochev said.

The fourth session of the Bulgarian-Russian economic commission will most likely take place in early December, Tsochev said.

Tsochev's visit to Moscow will review the progress on the agreements reached during the meetings between the two countries' prime ministers, Zhan Videnov and Viktor Chernomyrdin.

Tsochev's meeting with Russian Minister of Fuel and Energy Yuri Shafranik will discuss the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. The sides will sign an intergovernmental agreement on the supply of Russian natural gas to Bulgaria. According to Tsochev, the amount of the gas supply will not be less than the contracted volumes in the Yamburg agreement (which expires at the end of 1995), i.e. 3,340 million cu m annually. The sides will decide whether to extend the Yamburg agreement or to conclude a new 10-year agreement which will guarantee the Russian gas supply to Bulgaria. Tsochev expects that the sides will extend the Yamburg agreement and probably sign it during the fourth session of the Bulgarian-Russian economic commission.

The Bulgarian governmental delegation includes Energy Committee Chairman Konstantin Roussinov and Yanko Yanev, Chairman of the Committee for Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy. Their visit to Moscow will discuss issues of the conventional and nuclear energy as well as the agreement between Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia on the supply of fresh nuclear fuel and return of the spent fuel.

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - A three-day seminar on "The Role of Trans-European Infrastructure for Stability and Cooperation in the Black Sea Region" is opening here on Wednesday. It is organized on the initiative of the Bulgarian government under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Prime Minister Zhan Videnov will make an introductory speech at the first plenary meeting. President Zhelyu Zhelev, Hungarian Deputy Foreign Minister Andre Erdos in his capacity as personal representative of the OSCE Chairman, and Yves Berthelot, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), will deliver addresses at the opening.

Of the 52 OSCE member states the following countries are not sending delegations: Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg,Malta, San Marino, Vatican City, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Morocco, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Radko Vlaikov told a news conference today. Apart from the OSCE members, the seminar will be attended by representatives of Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia and Korea, as well as of Japan which has observer status in OSCE. The forum will be attended by representatives of international organizations, including ECE, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the UN Development Programme, the International Conference on Former Yugoslavia, the Danube Commission, the Permanent Secretariat of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, an independent delegation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Phare Programme, the Black Sea Regional Energy Centre, the International Union of Railways, and business representatives.

The Bulgarian delegation is led by Transport Minister Stamen Stamenov and Deputy Foreign Minister Konstantin Glavankov as his deputy.

The seminar will be discussing infrastructure problems - transport, telecommunications and energy - with a focus on infrastructure corridors, Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski said in a recent statement, adding that the last mentioned item was of particular topical interest to Bulgaria. He highlighted the possibility that by attracting investment the economic development of Bulgaria and the other Black Sea countries might gain impetus. The seminar will have an important political aspect as it is held under the OSCE aegis, Pirinski also said. In this connection he recalled that early in its tenure the government set priority on economic projects as a way of strengthening stability and security in Bulgaria and the region as a whole.

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - The leaders of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and the Podkrepa Labour Confederation express alarm and protest against the actions of the Government and governmental institutions aimed at curtailing the freedom of speech and press, says a joint declaration of Bulgaria's two most influential trade union amalgamations, sent ot BTA.

The trade unions protest against "growing manifestations of discrimination and censorship in the national media." In the last few months, a news blackout has been imposed on the public appearances of trade unions, the declaration says. Hosts and reporters have been under pressure by the Government Press Office and Cabinet members to make changes in reports and comments criticizing official stands. The trade union amalgamations claim cases of firing disobedient journalists, including trade union leaders in the Bulgarian National Television. Independent publications and their editors have been threatened with court proceedings, and anti-government journalists received threats of physical violence, according to the declaration.

The trade union amalgamations called on members, sympathizers, citizens and competent state bodies to support the protest against "totalitarian control of the national media."

[06] UDF URGES PARLIAMENT TO ADOPT RESOLUTION ON NATO MEMBERSHIP

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - The Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) today urged Parliament to adopt a resolution on Bulgaria's membership in NATO.

In a special memorandum the UDF top leadership called on Parliament to state firmly Bulgaria's willingness to join NATO.

The UDF leaders recalled at a news conference today that a decision on Bulgaria's NATO membership was under preparation in the summer. No decision was made, however, "because of the unwillingness of the Socialist parliamentary majority" which argued that the conditions for NATO's enlargement had not been specified yet, the UDF said. The conditions have already been drawn up and presented, the UDF memorandum said. "For Bulgaria, there is no viable alternative to NATO membership," the document said.

The Union insists that debates on the issue be put on the parliamentary agenda.

[07] DELEGATION OF UDF FOR TSARIBROD

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - A delegation of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), led by Union leader Ivan Kostov, is leaving for Tsaribrod in the Western Outlands, a territory in Southeastern Serbia, on Friday. This territory was annexed to Serbia under the 1919 Treaty of Neuilly following Bulgaria's defeat in World War I.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Marko Shoukarev, leader of the Democratic Union of Bulgarians in Yugoslavia, it was said at a UDF news conference today.

The delegation will make donations to the Bulgarian school and the Bulgarian hospital in Tsaribrod.

[08] BSP DELEGATION TO VISIT CYPRUS

Sofia, November 14 (BTA) - A delegation of the Supreme Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), led by BSP deputy leader Doncho Konakchiev, left for Cyprus today. It will attend the 18th Congress of AKEL, a BSP press release said.

The Bulgarian delegation is scheduled to have meetings in Cyprus to review the implementation of the protocol of the Ninth Session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the two countries. The Bulgarian side is expected to propose a date for holding the next session of the Commission, acceptable for both sides. According to the preliminary programme the Bulgarian delegation is to have talks at the Cyprian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Construction and Telecommunications and the Committee of Planning and to meet the speaker of the Cyprian Parliament.