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News from Bulgaria / 96-06-05Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Embassy of Bulgaria <bulgaria@access1.digex.net>EMBASSY OF BULGARIA - WASHINGTON D.C.BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY5 June, 1996CONTENTS
[01] MINISTER PIRINSKI ATTENDS MEETING WUTH CHRISTOPHERBerlin, June 4 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski participated late last night in a meeting of US Secretary of State Warren Christopher with the foreign ministers of Central and East European countries and the Baltic republics. Secretary of State Christopher briefed the participants in the meeting on the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) decisions for forming multinational European task forces to operate with NATO, strengthening the European contingent and further enhancing the Partnership for Peace programme. He also acquainted them with the performance of IFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the prospects for NATO's enlargement.Addressing the meeting, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister reiterated Bulgaria's interest to further actively participate in the enhanced dialogue on NATO's expansion, and in the further development of PfP-related activities. Dwelling on the changing situation in former Yugoslavia, Foreign Minister Pirinski stressed the need for stepping up the efforts of the countries in the region and Europe in general to achieving lasting stability, security and cooperation in Southeastern Europe. He also briefed the participants in the meeting on the forthcoming foreign ministers meeting of Southeastern Europe to be held in Sofia on the initiative of Bulgaria, said the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister had meetings with his counterparts from Turkey, Greece, Romania and Albania. His talks with ministers Emre Gonensai, Theodoros Pangalos, Teodor Melescanu and Alfred Sereki focused on Bulgaria's regional initiative for security and cooperation in South-eastern Europe. The meetings showed that Bulgaria will have real chances to organise the forum intended to stabilize the region probably at the end of June and the beginning of July, Borislav Kostourkov told BTA. At the end of NACC's morning session, asked by BTA correspondent about the extent to which NATO's eastward enlargement was discussed, Minister Pirinski said that this problem is not a central topic on the agenda of the session. A number of the foreign ministers of the 24 NACC members in their addresses to the session confirmed that it is the Partnership for Peace programme and the NACC that may become a key component of the European security architecture. [02] PIRINSKI ADDRESSES N.A.C.C. SESSIONBerlin, June 4 (BTA exclusive by Borislav Kostourkov) Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski addressed this morning' session of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, which includes 43 member countries and four observers. Mr Pirinski dwelt on two particularly important components of the European security architecture: the North Atlantic Cooperation Council and the Partnership for Peace Programme. He expressed Bulgaria's satisfaction with the intensified and more purposeful consultations within the framework of NACC since the Council's last session in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, last December. Bulgaria attaches importance to a continued discussion within the Economic Committee of such aspects of good-neighbour relations as "Infrastructural Regional Projects and Economic Aspects of Security" and "Consequences of the Implementation of UN-Mandated Economic Sanctions on Socio- Economic Aspects of Regional Stability," he said. The chief Bulgarian diplomat stressed that Bulgaria's updated PFP Individual Partnership Programme upgrades its partnership with NATO to a new stage. The priority areas of this programme are cooperation for achievement of compatibility of the defence policies of Bulgaria and the North Atlantic Alliance and improved interoperability of the Bulgarian and Allied armed forces. Noting that Partnership for Peace must remain a steady and important element of the European security system, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister emphasized that regular political consultations within the programme must be complemented by more active involvement of interested Partners in NATO's day-to-day operation at different levels and in different areas. Partners should be given access to a larger number of NATO committees, planning groups and other bodies. Partners could be involved in the decision- making and planning process within the framework of Partnership for Peace. All this presupposes reinforced presence at NATO Headquarters. Wrapping up his remarks, Mr Pirinski emphasized that Bulgaria expects an earlier entry into force of the Agreement on the Status of Missions and Representatives of Third Countries at NATO.[03] BULGARIAN-CANADIAN CONTACTSSofia, June 4 (BTA) - After Bulgaria reached agreements with the World Bank, the Government of Canada stated readiness to negotiate with this country opening of a credit line in support of the reforms, carried out by the Bulgarian Government, Canada's Ambassador in Bulgaria Jile Duegez said today at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Roumen Gechev, according to a news release of the Council of Ministers. Dugez familiarized Deputy PM Gechev with the intentions of the Canadian Government to establish top level contacts with Bulgaria. This autumn the Minister of Economy of Canada may visit Bulgaria and if the negotiations are successful, sign an agreement for the opening of a credit line, the news release says.[04] INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CONFERENCE ENDSSofia, June 4 (BTA) - The state of legislation and international activity of European countries in environmental protection was the subject of a two-day conference which ended in Sofia today. It was organized by the National Assembly and the European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation. The participants decided to propose to the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the national parliaments of the European countries to carry on cooperation in environmental legislation on a permanent basis. They envisage cooperation in two forms: annual seminars for in-depth discussion in specific areas of environmental protection, i.e. specific pieces of environmental legislation. There are also plans to build a data base for the new European environmental legislation accessible to the national parliaments as well. "These are realistic steps for addressing important tasks of the European Parliament and for approximation of national legislations with European environment standards," Associate Professor Dobrin Kanev, Head of the Research Department of the National Assembly, told BTA.[05] BREAD SUPPLY NORMALIZESSofia, June 4 (BTA) - "The bread supply has been returning to normal over the past two days," Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Roumen Popov told reporters today. In his view the specialized Ministry's commission on bread supply has done its job very well. Mr Popov believes that the situation will be normalized, despite all problems. The price of imported grain for processing into flour is 8,000-9,000 leva/tonne and flour costs 20,000-22,000 leva/tonne (the current exchange rate is some 132 leva for 1 US dollar)," Mr Popov said. These prices, however, depend on the US dollar exchange rate and go up together with the appreciation of the US currency.BTA's local correspondent in Vidin (on the Danube) said that 5 barges, loaded with grain, are expected to arrive from Serbia this evening. Yesterday and today BTA's correspondents around the country reported that the private bakeries in some towns have returned to normal operation and flour supply. The price of bread, however, is going up almost everywhere. [06] PETER STOYANOV - PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATESofia, June 4 (BTA) - Winning a landslide victory in the primaries last Sunday, Peter Stoyanov has been formally declared presidential candidate of the united opposition in Bulgaria. Nominated for the primaries by the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), the largest opposition force in this country, Stoyanov won against incumbent President Zhelyu Zhelev (nominated by the Popular Union) by 558,643 to 291,385.Peter Stoyanov graduated from Sofia University's Department of Law. He is an expert in civil law. He was deputy minister of justice in the UDF government (1991-1992). He is married and has two children. Stoyanov entered on his political career in his native town of Plovdiv as spokesman for the local UDF Coordinating Council. In April 1995 he became Deputy Chairman of the UDF National Coordinating Council. He is deputy floor leader of the UDF parliamentary group. During the primaries campaign Peter Stoyanov was promoted as "the new face of democracy". Analysts point out that in short time he managed to gain popularity with broad sectors of the public. He declared his would be a positive campaign aimed to "unite all honest people", that he would rely for support not only on the UDF core but on the young people "who know almost nothing about the distorted face of communism" and "for whose sake the UDF was obliged to set a new beginning". "Peter Stoyanov succeeded in building himself the image of a new face, a new rallying figure who has the will to lead the society to changes. And he managed to utilize this huge public potential for changes, enhanced by the crisis the BSP Government and the Bulgarian Socialist as a whole plunged the country into," political scientist Ognyan Minchev said. Opinion polls show that the UDF and the BSP stand the best chance of winning the presidential race. The BSP will unveil the name of its candidate by this weekend. There seems to be no doubt that the Socialists will opt for a card-carrying candidate. [07] OPPOSITION ANNOUNCES SINGLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATESofia, June 4 (Evgenia Droumeva of BTA) - Lawyer Peter Stoyanov (44) was officially declared a candidate of the united opposition for the presidential elections due this autumn. In an address to the nation tonight current President Zhelyu Zhelev said he recognizes Peter Stoyanov's victory. reporters this afternoon the leaders of the parliamentary opposition forces, Ivan Kostov of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Stefan Savov and Anastassia Moser of the Popular Union and Ahmed Dogan of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) signed a protocol, stating that UDF's candidate Peter Stoyanov has won the preliminary elections of the opposition and is nominated as "presidential candidate of the democratic opposition, united for victory at the presidential elections."In his address on the national media today President Zhelev said that he "will support the single candidate of the opposition so that Bulgaria has another democrat for president." Zhelev thanked all who supported him in the preliminary elections and all who went to these polls and said he will serve out his term. In his view the strong turn- out in the preliminary elections (more than 850,000 went to the polls) proved that "a new social majority is budding in Bulgaria and it wants a change." The press office of President Zhelev said that President's Chief of Staff Ivailo Trifonov and his Chef de Cabinet Youlia Gourkovska have handed in their resignations "over the failure of president Zhelev's campaign at the preliminary elections". The resignations have been accepted by Zhelev. At the same time the four opposition leaders confirmed that they will move a motion of no confidence in the Cabinet of the Democratic Left over "the failure of its economic policy." "We shall try to make the crisis in Government unsurmountable, so that to precipitate early parliamentary elections," Ivan Kostov said. Already before the preliminary elections, opposition leaders said that they view a victory in the presidential elections as a way for bringing about early parliamentary elections. Yesterday MRF leader Ahmed Dogan in a surprising statement said that early parliamentary elections may take place before the presidential elections. Today Dogan specified that his statement was made "with consideration of the crisis in the country and with view to the opposition's motion of no confidence in the Government." The MRF leader did not rule out the possibility for the opposition "to take a radical decision in relation to the Government and the parliamentary majority of the Left." In a televised interview last night Prime Minister Zhan Videnov did not conceal the fact that he finds little support for the unpopular measures at the beginning of the structural reform. "One can never have such measures supported by a majority," Videnov said. Despite the numerous press reports about contradictions in the Socialist party and criticism levelled at the Government, political observers have not so far commented the possible results from the planned vote of no confidence in the Cabinet. A plenum of the Socialists' leadership is due to be held at the end of this week. It will discuss possible changes in the Government and in BSP's top leadership. [08] DEMOCRATIC LEFT CONSULTATIVE POLITICAL COUNCILSofia, June 4 (BTA) - Today the Consultative Political Council of the three parties in the ruling coalition of the Democratic Left, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the Alexander Stamboliiski Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (Alexander Stamboliiski BANU) and the Eco-Glasnost Political Club, considered the social and political situation in the country and the decision of the BSP Supreme Council on changes in the Cabinet. The meeting was held on the initiative of the Eco-Glasnost Political Club.Today the parliamentary opposition introduced a motion for no confidence in Zhan Videnov's Government because of the failure of its economic policy. On Thursday, June 6, the Podkrepa Labour Confederation, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and other trade-union amalgamations are going to stage protest actions against the social policy of the Government in Sofia. The Democratic Left Consultative Political Council coordinated a position on the performance of and the necessity of changes in the Cabinet and the other institutions of the executive, Dragomir Shopov, Deputy Chairman of Alexander Stamboliiski BANU, told a news conference after the meeting. He said that a stand had been expressed to reject the no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition. The Consultative Political Council proposed that the three coalition parties and the Democratic Left parliamentary group hold a joint meeting at the end of the week, said Yanaki Stoilov, Deputy Chairman of the BSP Supreme Council. He added that a motion for cabinet changes would be introduced in Parliament next week. According to BSP Spokesperson Klara Marinova, the Democratic Left parliamentary group would probably rally behind the idea that Parliament should consider the cabinet changes before discussing the no-confidence vote. The Eco-Glasnost Political Club MPs will vote against the no- confidence motion of the opposition, Boris Kolev, Deputy Chairman of left-wing Eco-Glasnost, stressed. The Left intends to activate negotiations with the partners in the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC, Government, employers and trade unions), Klara Marinova said. In her words, the first talks between the leaders of the NCTC and the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CITUB) in Bulgaria (one of the trade unions in the NCTC) are to be held tomorrow morning in the building of Parliament . She specified that the talks, held by proposal of CITUB, would concentrate on the social policy. Marinova said it was planned to hold negotiations with emploers, the third partner in the NCTC, this or next week. [09] GENERAL STAFF NEWS RELEASE UPDATED FROM JUNE 3Sofia, June 3 (BTA) - The General Staff of the Bulgarian Army announces that because of live firing practice from 14:00 hrs to 19:00 hrs and from 21:00 hrs to 23:30 hrs local time on June 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, 1996, the area to the east, near the town of Shabla and the adjoining air space is declared dangerous for sea and aerial navigation.Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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