Ta nea toy BTA 24-Mar-95[**]
From: georgek@engc.bu.edu (george kapodistrias)
Ta nea apo thn Presbeia ths Boylgarias sthn Washington, D.C.
[01] . STATEMENT OF CABINET SPOKESMAN
[02] * COUNCIL OF MINISTERS DECISIONS
[03] ** BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AGREEMENT
[Egkrish toy prosxedioy gia thn ypersynoriakh synergasia
Elladas-Boylgarias me xrhmatosothsh ths EE.]
[04] . PARLIAMENT RATIFIES INTERNATIONAL ACCORDS
[05] . FRANCOPHONIE CAN HELP BULGARIA
[06] THURSDAY NEWS BRIEFS
. THE INFLATION RATE IN JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1995 WAS 7.8%
. A TRIAL SERIES OF GAS-3302 TRUCKS ROLLED OFF THE PRODUCTION LINES
OF THE MADARA CAR MAKER.
. CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN ON MARCH 29 STARTS A TOUR
OF SIX EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING BULGARIA.
. PRIME MINISTER ZHAN VIDENOV TODAY RECEIVED IMF MISSION LEADER
RUSSEL KINCAID.
. BULGARIAN PRESIDENT ZHELYU ZHELEV TODAY RECEIVED MARIA LUISA
WARTBURG, SPECIAL ENVOY OF THE GERMAN LIBERAL PARTY.
Giwrgos Kapodistrias
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From: bulgaria@access4.digex.net (Embassy of Bulgaria)
Subject: BTA inf/ Mar. 24, 95
Date: 24 Mar 1995 12:32:15 -0500
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA
BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY
BULLETIN OF NEWS FROM BULGARIA
24 MARCH
[01] STATEMENT OF CABINET SPOKESMAN
" The Bulgarian cabinet follows with a growing concern the
systematic attempts of the President to impede lawmaking," cabinet
Spokesman Nikola Baltov said in a statement broadcast by the
National Television this evening. In the last month of parliamentary
work, President Zhelev returned three laws motivating his step with
poorly masked pseudo-professional arguments most of which had
nothing to do with the real facts, the statement went. " A typical
example are the amendments to the Nature Conservation Act, which
the cabinet moved in a bid to prevent a danger facing nearly 90 per
cent of Bulgarian enterprises," said the cabinet Spokesman. He further
said these enterprises could be closed down by any rival on the
grounds of lack of an environmental report. Making a report on the
environmental effects of a company's activity is a slow and strenuous,
and very often unfeasible, procedure, according to Baltov. He said the
cabinet cannot remain indifferent to such attempts at racketeering the
Bulgarian industry. " The Council of Ministers needs no piece-work
laws and has no intention to build nuclear power plants without the
necessary environmental study. Nobody wants to curtail people's
right to demand information or discuss environmental problems. And
nowhere do the controversial amendments hint of intentions to that
end," the cabinet's Spokesman said in response to statements of
environmental activists of the opposition. " The only possible
explanation for this insinuation is the desire to disgrace this country
when an international meeting on environment is due this autumn in
Sofia," stressed Baltov. " The cabinet firmly opposes such attempts and
calls for the speedy entry into effect of the laws Bulgaria needs," said
he.
[02] COUNCIL OF MINISTERS DECISIONS
The Council of Ministers approved today the memorandum on
the development of Crete corridor No. 9 " Helsinki - St. Petersburg -
Moscow - Kiev- Lyubasivka - Chishinau - Bucharest Dimitrovgrad"
plus branch-outs from Odessa to Razdelnaya and from Kiev to
Kaliningrad.
The Council of Ministers approved the agreement on reciprocal
promotion and protection of investments between Bulgaria and
Albania, signed on February 27, 1994, and moved it for ratification
by the National Assembly.
The Government approved the Agreement on Cooperation in
Tourism between Bulgaria and the Russian Federation signed on
December 14, 1994.
The Council of Ministers approved a draft agreement on
cooperation in education, science and culture between Bulgaria on the
one hand and Estonia and Lithuania on the other. Deputy Foreign
Minister Stanimir Alexandrov was authorized to conduct the
negotiations and to sign the agreement.
The Government approved the framework of an agreement
between Bulgaria and the Russian Federation for exempting
commodities for the needs of the defence ministries of the two
countries from customs duties.
[03] BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AGREEMENT
Today the Government approved a framework agreement
between Bulgaria and Greece and a list of priorities, measures and
projects for transborder cooperation within the PHARE-INTERREG
programme. The medium-term goals set by the framework agreement
include upgrading of transport infrastructure and communication
links and local water and power supply, limitation and control over
environment pollution, encouragement of investment and tourism,
transfer of technologies and initiatives to develop agriculture and
reduce unemployment. The purpose of the agreement is to pool the
funds Bulgaria receives from the EU within the framework of the
PHARE programme and the structural funds of the EU to which
Greece has access, said Emil Goranov, chief of the Government
European Economic Integration Department. Actually these are two
parallel programmes, of an intergovernment treaty type for using
funds extended by the EU. The Bulgarian programme for 115 million
ECU distributes the funds in seven sectors of which transport projects
have the largest share - 42%, Goranov said. Gas and oil pipeline
deliveries and economic development investment projects have been
allocated 10% each, 6% will go to the development of human
resources - health care, education, training, 7% to the development of
agriculture, 18% to improving environment and 2% to management.
The Greek programme channels 65% of the funds into infrastructure
projects, 10% into the development of agriculture, 14% into
economic development and 9% into human resources and improving
the quality of life. What is new in the agreement is that one project is
financed under two funds, Emil Goranov said. Fresh money is
expected next year after the agreement and its indicative programmes
are signed, he added.
[04] PARLIAMENT RATIFIES INTERNATIONAL ACCORDS
The National Assembly today ratified a Bulgarian-Swiss
intergovernmental agreement on technical cooperation signed in Sofia
in 1994. The agreement envisages the launch of projects on
promotion of small and medium-sized entrepreneurship,
environmental protection, health care and social services, local
administration, scientific and cultural exchange and other. Under the
agreement, Switzerland introduces a cooperation regime equal with
that for European Union members under operation PHARE as regards
duties, taxes and import fees. Parliament also ratified
intergovernmental agreements with Britain and Belgium on the
consolidation of Bulgaria's liabilities to those countries. The
agreements were signed as provided for by the Paris, April 1994,
protocol on the consolidation of Bulgaria's foreign debt. The entry
into effect of the agreements is in line with this country's interests and
will facilitate tangibly the servicing of its foreign debt over the next
10 years, according to the parliamentary economic and finance
committees.
The National Assembly today passed for a second time a bill
revoking the Act to Introduce on a Provisional Basis Certain
Additional Qualifications for Senior Members of Scientific
Institutions, known as " the Panev law" . The passage of the bill
cancels a 1992 law on decommunization of science that disqualified
former members of the communist nomenklatura from holding senior
positions in higher educational establishments. The bill passed with
125 votes for, 81 against and 4 abstentions. The bill first passed a
month ago to be returned by the President for further deliberation at
Parliament. President Zhelev then said he was supportive of revoking
the law on the decommunization of science " to restore justice for
some honorable Bulgarian scientists" . He, however, refused to accept
the closing provisions of the law which he saw as violating the
constitutional right to academic autonomy and interfering into the
internal matters of scientific organizations. According to Dr. Zhelev,
this was most likely to result in new politization and split in science.
Commenting on the new law, the leader of the opposition Union of
Democratic Forces, Yordan Sokolov, said it is shameful and
dangerous for Bulgaria's science. He believes it brings partizan
considerations back to science. The MPs of the opposition will
probably approach the Constitutional Court on this matter. The
possibility to have the law challenged by the Constitutional Court " at
the example set by the President" alarmed the floor leader of the
ruling Democratic Left coalition, Krasimir Premyanov. He described
the rejection of the Presidential veto as an act of huge political,
scientific and human significance. According to him, this was the
only possible way to restore the rights of scientists discriminated by
the Panev law.
[05] FRANCOPHONIE CAN HELP BULGARIA
" The Francophone cooperation between Bulgaria and France
should be a bridge to help Bulgaria integrate fully into Europe.
Through its contacts with French-language culture, Bulgaria could
join the modern world more quickly," French Minister of Culture and
Francophonie Jacques Toubon told a news conference here today.
Toubon yesterday arrived on a visit to this country
at the invitation of Bulgarian Culture Minister Georgi Kostov. The
present state of the Francophone community and Bulgaria's place in it
was the major topic of a meeting between Jacques Toubon and
Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev. Meeting with Prime Minister
Zhan Videnov, the guest offered French financial assistance for
culture in Bulgaria and exchange of experts and artists. Toubon said
France would provide financial and technical assistance for the
restoration of the Boyana Church near Sofia. Cultural cooperation
between the two countries will proceed in various forms, from
exchanges of exhibitions and collections of works of art to
coproduction of films and training of Bulgarian administrators.
Jacques Toubon told the news conference that he was surprised at the
high calibre of students at Sofia's French-language secondary school.
Three projects targeted on French-language schools in Bulgaria were
approved and will be implemented by this autumn. Minister of
Education, Science and Technology Ilcho Dimitrov and Jacques
Toubon discussed bilateral cooperation in education. The guest
discussed the problems of Francophonie and aspects of Bulgaria's
participation in the Francophone community with Foreign Minister
Georgi Pirinski. Tomorrow the French culture minister is leaving
Sofia.
[06] THURSDAY NEWS BRIEFS
The inflation rate in January-February 1995 was 7.8 per cent,
said the National Statistical Institute. In the period under review,
foods rose 8.3 per cent, services 7.5 per cent and nonfoods 6.4 per
cent. Retail prices of cabinet-monitored goods show in the February
28 - March 15 period they dropped by an average of 0.3 per cent.
Eggs, mineral water, rice, cow's cheese and cooked sausages dropped
most dramatically (14.3, 10.3, 9.2, 3.6 and 3.6 per cent
respectively). Milk, however, rose by 9.3 per cent, ahead of baby food
(5.5 per cent), potatoes (5.4 per cent), beans (4.9 per cent) and
yoghurt (4.8 per cent).
A trial series of GAS-3302 trucks rolled off the production lines
of the Madara car maker in Shoumen, Northeastern Bulgaria. The
new truck has a Volga motor. With its 1.5 tonne carrying capacity, it
is designed mostly for the needs of small entrepreneurs. The new
production was launched under a framework agreement with the
foreign trade company operating with GAS Inc. of Nizny Novgorod in
Russia. The trucks will replace Western-made vehicles, whose prices
are double those of Madara's product. The volume of production will
depend on the demand in Bulgaria and some neighbouring countries.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen on March 29 starts a tour
of six European countries, including Bulgaria, said Agence France
Presse. The tour will continue until April 15.
Prime Minister Zhan Videnov today received International
Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission Leader Russel Kincaid and IMF
Resident Representative to Bulgaria Gregory Dahl. At the meeting
that lasted over an hour, the sides discussed the results of the two-
week IMF mission here that sought to acquaint itself with the
government's economic programme and the central bank's monetary
policy, and consider the conditions for the signing of a new standby
agreement. At a working dinner this evening, the two IMF officials
will discuss the results of the mission with the members of the
cabinet's economic team and the central bank Governing Board.
Before his departure from this country yesterday, Mr Kincaid will
publicize his conclusions before journalists.
Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev today received Maria Luisa
Wartburg, member of the Liberal International and special envoy of
the German Liberal Party, said the President's Press Office. Ms
Wartburg delivered the Bulgarian Head of State a message from
German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel. She said Liberals in
Germany seek closer contacts with Bulgaria's liberally-minded
politicians, an idea of which Dr. Zhelev is most supportive, said the
President's Press Office.
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