- Sofia, August 1 (BTA) - "Since the election of the Grand National Assembly (1990) it has been my purpose to expand the democratic space in Bulgaria, to open the way for democratic change in the political, economic and social areas, " President Zhelyu Zhelev said today in an interview for the Bulgarian national Radio on the occasion of his fifth year in the Presidency. "Another basic purpose was ensuring conditions for a peaceful transition - civil and social peace, because there could be no democracy or reform without it, " Dr Zhelev said. The Bulgarian head of State denied press allegations that in 1992 he was re-elected President by popular vote thanks to the silent support of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). Commenting on his election as President by the Grand National Assembly in 1990, Dr Zhelev said that this had been a result of an agreement between the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and the BSP, under which the Presidency was to be headed by a representative of the opposition. In the interview the President recalled some of his first acts including a decree abolishing the restriction of citizens' rights to residence in certain major urban areas - "a kind of state-sponsored serfdom that for 40 years banned ordinary Bulgarians to live and work in the place they would like to". He recalled that it was he who launched the initiative to revoke by law "the most drastic privileges granted to the so-called active fighters against fascism and capitalism". "I sponsored a bill on the basis of which the Foreign Aid Agency was formed; during the hungry winter of 1990-1991 the Agency played a very importance role in the distribution of aid coming from the United States, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Switzerland and other countries, " President Zhelev said. He mentioned other bills initiated by him, including the legislation on the depoliticizing of the army, the police, the judiciary, the investigative service and the prosecuting magistracy. "The law was hailed by the Bulgarian officers and played a key role in sheltering the army from political battles, " Dr Zhelev recalled. "The Presidency played an even greater role in the area of radical reforms such as the restitution of land and other property and privatization, " the Bulgarian head of state said. "We take credit for changing the philosophy of the land reform, " he said. "The BSP was campaigning for returning the land to those who cultivate it, while the UDF advocated the restitution of nationalized and requisitioned land to their former owners and their heirs, on which finally a consensus was reached and the Grand National Assembly drafted the first version of the land act on this basis, " Dr Zhelev recalled. The President pointed out he had always defended the position on the restoration of historical justice and returning property to its former owners. Dr Zhelev criticized Lyuben Berov's cabinet which did nothing about privatization despite its programme intentions. "Today Bulgaria lags behind most of the East European countries in the area of privatization, " the President said. He praised the Constitutional Court for its principled position in ruling the Agricultural Land Tenure Act Amendments, adopted thanks to the parliamentary majority of the BSP-led coalition, unconstitutional which opened the way for continuation of reforms. "The slow pace of reforms hinders the inflow of foreign investments, it is the main reason for rampant crime and for criminal groups getting control over the country's economy, " the President stated. "During my presidency, I have been supporting the big, small and medium-size private business most energetically; in my view, this is the driving force which can take Bulgaria out of the bog it is now, " Dr Zhelev said.
"U.S. wants Bulgaria to tighten embargo on former Yugoslavia, " "Standart News" writes on its front page, quoting a statement on CNN by US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. The US is trying to tighten the sanctions on Serbia, and has asked Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Greece to do so, Mr Holbrooke said yesterday.
"Standart News" and other papers quote Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Radko Vlaikov as saying the US has not yet made a formal request to that effect. "The appeals for tighter sanctions are a hint that Bulgaria is not enforcing them properly, " "Standart News" quotes an unnamed Bulgarian diplomat as saying.
Quoting Foreign Ministry sources, "Standard News" writes that the issue has not been raised before Sofia for months.
"Washington must be joking. And this comes at a time when it is turning a deaf ear to calls for compensations and approves arms for Bosnia, " says an editorial comment in "24 Chassa".
In an article on this issue, "Pari" says that for a three-month trial period starting today, the Sanctions Committee will lift the requirement for monitors to accompany transit shipments of strategic goods in the Serb section of the Danube.
A signed article in "24 Chassa" says Bulgarian politicians are wrong to believe that the Yugoconflict poses no direct threat to Bulgaria's security. The author predicts that Russia and the US will try to exert pressure on Bulgaria so as to enhance their influence on the Balkans. According to him, it is high time for Bulgaria to clearly define its orientation and goals. "After all, Sofia's stance on the Bosnian conflict will determine whether Bulgaria will become integrated into Europe, or will continue its turn to the left, " the author also says. Further shilly-shallying would place Bulgaria in isolation, he says.
The press covers in detail the negotiations of opposition parties and coalitions on a single mayoral candidate in Sofia.
"United Opposition Officially Nominates Sofiyanski As Its Mayoral Candidate" runs a banner headline in "Demokratsiya", the daily of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), which nominated Sofiyanski. In a vote yesterday, Sofiyanski was backed by 13 formations, while Reneta Indjova, the candidate of the Popular Union (a coalition of Agrarians and Democrats), was only supported by three. Despite the outcome of the vote, the Popular Union has not dropped Indjova's candidacy. "There is nothing bad in filing two opposition candidacies, " said Stefan Savov, co-chairman of the Popular Union.
The papers report that at the talks yesterday, Indjova emphasized that her candidacy was non-partisan, and Sofiyanski presented his programme in detail.
A signed comment in "Troud" stresses that opposition disputes on the mayoral candidates may deflect voters.
The leaders of the ethnic Turks' Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) asked Ankara to grant three- month visa-free entry to Bulgarian Turks, "Douma" writes on its front page. Muslims in Northern Greece now enjoy such treatment under a Greek-Turkish agreement.
The Turkish authorities have not responded to the MRF proposal yet, "Douma" also says.
"Troud" runs an extensive article headlined "For Five Years Now President Zhelev Has Wavered Between UDF and BSP", prompted by the fifth anniversary of Zhelev's election. On August 1, 1990, Zhelev, then an opposition leader, was elected President by the Grand National Assembly, and a year and a half later won the first direct presidential elections. "I am ready to cooperate with any cabinet which stands up for Bulgaria's national interests, " the daily quotes Zhelev as saying after the Socialist cabinet took office.
"We will hail the Bulgarian Socialist Party's [BSP] membership in the Socialist International. A normal process of change and democracy is under way in the party, " Manfred Stolpe, a member of the federal leadership of the German Social Democratic Party and Minister-President of the German State of Brandenburg, says in a "Douma" interview. Stolpe also says that Bulgarian Prime Minister and BSP leader Zhan Videnov inspires confidence.
"Almost unwittingly, the BSP is building a weak state, " political analyst Evgeni Dainov says in an extensive article in "Troud". In his view, the BSP managed to impose the pattern of the triangle of power. "The three angles - the party, the cabinet and the parliamentary majority - exist in reality and are functioning as interconnected vessels, " Dainov says, adding that this triangle is not using the same scheme of governance as at the time of real socialism.
Dainov writes about a nascent oligarchy, a society ruled by a group of several hundred people. He predicts a redistribution of the supremacy of various interests interlaced in the triangle. The signs, according to Dainov, are the disputes over the Bulgarian-Russian Topenergy gas joint venture, but real fighting will start when mass privatization is launched.
"The various trends, which stand out ever more clearly within the ruling BSP, prove there still are untapped resources, " says a signed comment in "Standart News" prompted by the Socialists' national conference late last week. The author says the process of modernization of the BSP is going on and it is ahead of the others.
"The power industry is on the brink of an economic collapse, " Acting Chairman of the Energy Committee Konstantin Roussinov says in "Douma". "Power generation is in dire straits mainly because the previous cabinets failed to and did not dare to understand that prices should match production costs, " Roussinov says.
A signed comment in "Continent" on the meeting in Lisbon of Kurdish representatives, which will take place under the auspices of the U.S., says that if it materializes, it will not provide an answer to the big question: what will happen to the Kurds in Northern Iraq once the U.N. embargo against Baghdad is lifted. "With its Portuguese initiative, the White House will confirm the fact that Kurdistan's fate has always been determined by foreign interests without any benefit to the Kurds themselves, " the comment says.
Bulgarian doctors refuse to treat HIV-positive patients for fear of contracting AIDS, according to experts of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Bulgaria, "24 Chassa" says in a front-page story. Bulgaria's three-year AIDS programme was assessed yesterday. The WHO asked the Bulgarian cabinet to set up a national committee on AIDS.
The press reports on last night's concert of Britain's East 17 in Sofia. "The Britons of East 17 were met by the largest crowd of fans at Sofia Airport so far, beating Serb singer Lepa Brena's 1989 record, " "24 Chassa" says.
- Sofia, August 1 (BTA) - Ukraine may cut off coal supplies to Bulgaria due to outstanding debts, Ukrainian Ambassador Alexander Vorobyov says in an interview in "Troud". The two countries have failed to agree on last year's settlements and sign an indicative list and a protocol on trade cooperation.
The dollar is slowly tending down, the press reports, emphasizing the intervention by the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).
Unless the dollar edges up, central bank leaders will discuss on Thursday new measures aimed at the depreciation of the lev, "24 Chassa" quotes bankers as saying.
Four rose oil distilleries and five perfume companies formed a Bulgarian Rose consortium, "Standart News" says, quoting a statement by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nikolai Nenov. Funds needed to renew rose gardens are put at 120-150, 000 leva per hectare.
Repairs start today at Sofia Airport, papers report, and will end in October. The base course and the bituminous surface are to be replaced.
The Ministry of Agriculture will set minimum prices for nine agricultural products within a week, "24 Chassa" reports, quoting Deputy Agriculture Minister Manyo Manev. The 1996 list includes potatoes, wheat, maize, sugar beet, cow's and sheep's cheese, pork and lamb. The government will buy raw materials only from producers who have signed contracts with it.
The National Employment Service will suspend the licences of corporate intermediaries that defrauded clients, or lured them promising high wages abroad, papers quote the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Milcho Dimitrov as saying. The licences of first-time offenders will be suspended for six months, and of repeat offenders for twelve months.
- Sofia, August 1 (BTA) - The Constitutional Court will pronounce itself in substance on the case, challenging the constitutionality of some texts of the Local Elections Act, on September 12, the date of its first session after the summer recess, Constitutional Court member Ivan Grigorov, who is also a rapporteur on the case, announced today. The case was instituted proceedings from two petitions, filed separately by President Zhelyu Zhelev and a group of MPs of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), contesting the constitutionality of some provisions in the Local Elections Act. The Constitutional Court decided to consider the two petitions as a single case, because they overlap to some extent, Grigorov explained. The Constitutional Court constituted the following institutions as parties on the case: the Parliament, the President, the Government, the Prosecutor General and the Central Electoral Commission. President Zhelev and the UDF MPs challenge the provision contained in the Local Elections Act, (adopted in July 1995) ruling that during the election campaign the journalists working at the Bulgarian National Television, the Bulgarian National Radio, the Bulgarian News Agency, the regional television centres and the local radio stations cannot express their attitude towards parties, coalitions and individual candidates running in the local race. This provision contravenes the Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, according to the petitions' reasonings. The two petitions also contest the constitutionality of a provision, according to which only Bulgarian citizens who have not dual nationality are eligible as councillors and mayors. In their reasoning the President and the UDF MPs cite the Constitution which explicitly specifies the cases in which dual nationality is an obstacle to exercising certain rights; councillors and mayors do not fall in this category. The parliamentarians of the UDF also challenge the constitutionality of a text in the Act, providing that conscripts can vote only in the palces of their permanent residence. In the UDF MPs' view, the exercise of the conscripts' right to vote will depend on whether they will be given a leave. This provision is not challenged by the President. The fact that the Constitutional Court will pronounce itself on the case in September will not impede the organization of the local elections, Constitutional Court members say. According to projections, the elections will be held in October, but the date is not yet specified. The issue was discussed at meetings of President Zhelyu Zhelev with the five parliamentary forces last week. The ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party took a stand for holding the elections on October 15. The largest opposition force in Parliament, UDF, is in favour of scheduling the elections after October 20, as this is the expiry date of the constitutional four-year term of office of the incumbent local authorities. The Popular Union (a coalition of the Bulgarian Agrarian Party and the Democratic Party), the ethnic Turks' Movement for Rights and Freedoms and the Bulgarian Business Bloc insist that the elections will be scheduled for October 29, with the motivation that the electorate will be busy with farming operations in October.
- Athens, August 1 (BTA special correspondent Nikolai Kostov) - "Bulgarian-Greek relations are not related to any geometrical figures used in politics and are not maintained at the expense of our relations with any other country, " National Assembly Chairman Blagovest Sendov said here today, summarizing the results of a Bulgarian parliamentary delegation's visit to Greece. The 16 MPs he led are the largest Bulgarian parliamentary delegation to visit Greece. "Our visit demonstrated the desire of the entire political spectrum in Bulgaria to promote Bulgarian-Greek relations, " Mr Sendov stated. His first meeting here was with his Greek counterpart Apostolos Kaklamanis. Bilateral relations in general, the situation in the Balkans and the processes of European integration were on the agenda. It was noted that Bulgarian-Greek relations are making fast progress. Blagovest Sendov praised the friendship between Bulgaria and Greece and said that his hosts supported Bulgaria's willingness to integrate into European and Euro- Atlantic structures. The National Assembly Chairman said that the first session of the EU-Bulgaria Association Council will be held in Sofia from September 6 through September 8. Bulgarian-Greek relations were also assessed in positive terms by Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of European Affairs, Georgios Mangakis. He express his country's categorical support for Bulgaria's integration into the European structures, saying that "Greece is a conductor of Bulgaria's European priorities." Blagovest Sendov was received today by President Costis Stephanopoulos of Greece. Mr Sendov conveyed to the Greek head of state greetings from President Zhelyu Zhelev of Bulgaria and renewed Dr Zhelev's invitation to his Greek counterpart to visit Bulgaria in October. The National Assembly Chairman and his host surveyed Bulgarian-Greek relations and praised the two countries' desire to work for further strengthening of bilateral contacts in all spheres. Also today, Mr Sendov conferred, separately and in this order, with Miltiadis Evert, leader of the New Democracy party, Stephanos Stephanopoulos, Secretary of the parliamentary group of the Political Spring party, and Aleka Papariga, leader of the Communist Party of Greece. The National Assembly Chairman and his Greek hosts were unanimous that the friendship between Bulgaria and Greece underlies all initiatives, aiming to achieve stability and peace in the Balkans. Commenting on the visit of the Bulgarian parliamentary delegation to their country, local observers say that Bulgarian-Greek relations enter a fundamentally new stage of development. According to them, this is prompted by the new European realities and the emerging geostrategic dimensions, (the construction of the Bourgas- Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and the South-West transport arteries) in which Bulgaria and Greece are involved. The visit is also commented in connection with the invitation of Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias to meet his Bulgarian and Romanian opposite numbers in Ioanina (Northern Greece) on August 25. Coordinating joint action for lifting the sanctions imposed on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and discussing trilateral economic interaction within a European context will be on the agenda.
- Sofia, August 1 (BTA) - Prime Minister Zhan Videnov today received the outgoing Ambassador of Egypt here Mr Ali El Naggary. Mr Videnov expressed Bulgaria's satisfaction with Mr El Naggary's work for improvement of contacts between Bulgaria and Egypt. Both sides acknowledge the need of still more active contacts in trade, culture, tourism and cooperation in combating organized crime and terrorism, the Government Press Office said.
Computer equipment worth over 100, 000 US dollars has been delivered under the PHARE Programme to the Regional Centre for Health Informatics in Veliko Turnovo (North Central Bulgaria), the third after Sofia and Plovdiv to update its computer network after a three-year study of PHARE experts. The centre experts expect information processing in the local health care establishments to be facilitated considerably, which will help in the preparations for the future health insurance system.
A month-long international summer workshop on Bulgarian language and civilization was opened in Veliko Turnovo today. Taking part are more than 40 young Bulgarian scholars and Slavists from 21 countries of Europe, America and Asia. They will attend five specialized theoretical seminars and practical classes in Bulgarian language, literature, history and folklore.
The ruling Socialist Party, the Alexander Stamboliiski Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and the Ecoglasnost Political Club today signed a political agreement on participation in the local elections this autumn. The same parties coalesced for the early general elections last December. "The three parties of the parliamentary majority now have the opportunity to continue their full-fledged cooperation, " BSP Chairman Zhan Videnov said after the signing.
The Political Council of the extraparliamentary Democratic Alternative for the Republic (DAR) has decided to start negotiations with the BSP on a mayoral candidate for Sofia, DAR leader Alexander Tomov said today. The Council also decided that DAR register a separate list of councillors, relying on the vote of those who seek an alternative to the two major political parties, the Union of Democratic Forces and BSP, Mr Tomov said.
Representatives of the municipal authorities, the Regional Directorate of Internal Affairs and the National Council of the Roma Union for Social Democracy met in Vidin (on the Danube) today to discuss problems of Gypsy crime. The Roma Union suggests that Gypsies be appointed policemen to work both full time and part time in quarters and towns with compact Gypsy population. The Union's leaders see this as a way to reduce crime. Between January and June 1995, 42 per cent of the criminals arrested in the Vidin area have been Gypsies.
The Romanian ship "Slobosia Mare" left the Port of Vidin last night after the Romanian Foreign Trade Bank paid all port dues to the amount of 34, 550 US dollars. The ship, owned by Valeologia, a Moldovan-Ukrainian joint venture, was arrested on October 19, 1994 by the WEU teams because it did not hold a permit for transportation of 1, 752 t of gas oil, which is embargoed cargo. The fuel was seized by the Bulgarian authorities.
Preparations are going on for the signing of free trade agreements between Bulgaria and Slovakia and Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, said the Press Centre of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation. The third round of expert-level talks ended in Bratislava. Liberalization of trade in industrial goods topped the agenda. Trade in agricultural goods is expected to be considered this week.
The Commander of the Navy of the Republic of Bulgaria, Vice Admiral Hristo Kontrov, returned from a three-day visit to Novorossiisk, Russia, paid by the frigate "Smely" on the occasion of the Russian Navy Day. The Bulgarian delegation met with local authority officials and conferred with the Executive Officer of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, Vice Admiral Pyotr Svyatashov, the BTA correspondent in Varna (on the Black Sea) reports.
In compliance with the programme for military cooperation between the Bulgarian and the Greek defence ministries and general staffs, a Greek military delegation, led by the Chief of General Staff of the Ground Forces, Lieutenant General Konstantinos Voulgaris, will visit Bulgaria from August 2 through 4, 1995, the Defence Ministry Press Centre announced.