Athens - Bulgarian government delegation led by Prime Minister Zhan Videnov today arrived on an official visit to Greece. This is the first visit here by Zhan Videnov in his capacity as Head of government. The delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Foreign Economic Cooperation Kiril Tsochev, Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Hristov, Deputy Minister of Construction Ivan Gadjev and Deputy Labor Minister Milcho Dimitrov. At the Athens international airport, the Bulgarian delegation was welcomed by the chairman of the Greek Parliament, Apostolos Kaklamanis. Later today the Prime Minister was received by Greek President Costis Stephanopoulos. He had a tete- a-tete with his Greek counterpart Andreas Papandreaou. The members of the two countries' delegations joint in later. Speaking at a joint news conference, the Bulgarian and Greek heads of government declared their readiness to implement geostrategic projects in transport, the energy business and telecommunications. "The talks were important for bilateral and Balkan relations, as well as for the European integration processes," the Bulgarian Prime Minister said. "We have plans to use our bilateral relations to change the prejudices to the Balkans, to show that they [the Balkans] can develop up to the European standards. I believe that for this reason the prospect of turning this country into an energy, information and communication crossroads of Europe, is very important," Zhan Videnov went on to say. He believes that this spells higher economic effectiveness and social prosperity in Bulgaria, and offers geostrategic prospects.
Greek Prime Minister Papandreou voiced his satisfaction with the progress of Bulgarian-Greek ties. He further pledged to help Bulgaria in its aspirations to full European Union membership. It emerged from the two prime ministers' statements that Bulgaria and Greece have already agreed on the major issues: the construction of a pipeline from the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Bourgas to Alexandroupolis in Greece, the transfer of energy from Russia to Italy via Bulgaria and Greece, the transit of gas for Greece via Bulgaria, the South-West transport link to Greece via Bulgaria and the construction of a bridge in the northwestern section of the Danube. The Greek side said it would seek EU assistance for handling these issues. The sides identified a shared desire to boost the commercial exchange, which, Deputy Prime Minister Tsochev said, amounted to $ 530 million in 1994. Bilateral trade in January-March 1995 totaled $ 120 million. Kiril Tsochev said that Greek wants to become the principle foreign investor in Bulgaria, both in terms of number of investors and the volume of investments. The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that Sofia is ready to organize a seminar this year on Balkan cooperation and attract Black Sea and Central European countries for a conference at high level next year. "We considered an initiative to expand the Stability Pact: not in terms of parts of territories, of population and historical heritage of neighboring countries, but in the spirit of trans-border cooperation and trans- regional communication projects, economic, social and cultural interaction," Zhan Videnov said. "Very soon, we will take decisive steps to address important issues of the past to direct all our efforts to the future, to our strategic cooperation as Balkan countries that comply with the European standards and hold a due place in the new world," the Bulgarian Prime Minister said in conclusion. However, neither Videnov nor Papandreou committed themselves to a specific Bulgarian-Greek initiative seeking to bring peace in former Yugoslavia. In dispatches on Videnov's visit to Greece, the Greek press does not mention Bulgaria's expectations that the sides will agree on the existing open issue: the new check points which Bulgaria believes should open on the Bulgarian-Greek border, and the waters of the Mesta River. The two topics will probably dominate the talks at the Greek Foreign Ministry this evening, when experts of the two countries will discuss technicalities. The Greek Prime Minister told journalists that the results of the visit will be summed up in a joint communique. The Bulgarian Embassy in Athens gave a reception this evening in honor of Prime Minister Videnov and his wife.
Belgrade - Bulgaria is taking a more active part in solving the Yugocrisis in accordance with its potentials and in coordination with the international community, Bulgarian diplomats in Belgrade said at the end of the second day of the visit of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski to Yugoslavia. Today Pirinski held intensive talks on the peace process and stability in the Balkans, on Bulgarian-Yugoslav relations and on bilateral cooperation first with Yugoslav Foreign Minister Vladislav Jovanovic, then with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, and then again with Vladislav Jovanovic. All talks continued longer than scheduled. Bulgarian and Yugoslav journalists waiting at the Presidency were surprised by Vitaly Churkin, former special envoy of Russian President Boris Yeltsin to the former Yugoslavia and now Russian ambassador to the European Union. Being well acquainted with the Yugoslav crisis, he will probably join once again the efforts for its solution. At a news conference this afternoon Pirinski confirmed the stand of the Bulgarian Government for a peaceful solution of the Yugocrisis and a stage-by-stage lifting of the sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia. "The sanctions are blocking bilateral economic contacts but we may prepare for the period after their lifting and discuss other issues of interest. Integration into united Europe, treating all countries on an equal footing, will help overcome the consequences of the embargo and boost bilateral relations," Pirinski said. Recalling that Bulgarian
Prime Minister Zhan Videnov is currently visiting Athens and that Turkish Foreign Minister Erdal Inonu and President Suleyman Demirel are expected to visit Sofia shortly, Pirinski stressed that Bulgaria is seeking to promote its relations in the interest of all states and not at the expense of its neighbors. Pirinski resumed his talks with Vladislav Jovanovic which will continue late into the evening. Then he will go to the world premiere of Emir Kosturica's "Underground".
Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimiter Pavlov left on a visit to Slovakia. "The main purpose of the visit is to promote ties between the Bulgarian and the Slovak defense ministries," Pavlov said before his departure. The ministries are expected to sign a comprehensive agreement on cooperation. "I believe that this cooperation is another step to Europe," the Bulgarian Defense Minister said. Minister Pavlov will have talks at the Slovak Ministry of Defense. He will be received by President Michal Kovac, Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar and the Chairman of Slovakia's Parliament, Ivan Gasparovic.
The Constitutional Court today ruled that 19 of the Land Act provisions violate the Constitution, Constitutional Court justice Georgi Markov said. The court started legal proceedings after President Zhelyu Zhelev and the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) separately challenged the constitutionality of the Socialist-sponsored amendments to the Land Act. The court invalidated all five amendments challenged by the President. Following numerous revisions of the Land Act passed in 1991, the Socialist-led ruling coalition moved amendments that took effect on May 20 this year. They were vetoed by Dr. Zhelev to be enacted shortly after when Parliament put them to a second vote. President Zhelev said that the amended law conflicts the essence of the democratic changes in the country and infringes on private owners' constitutional rights. He also said it failed to provide conditions for a free land market and has a number of imperfections and inconsistencies. MPs of the opposition Popular Union and the UDF described the amended law as an attempt at recommunization and stressed that the elimination of liquidation councils leaves open the problem with the liabilities and property of former Soviet-style cooperative farms. The court revoked provisions that placed owners planning to sell their land, under the obligation to offer it first to the municipality and the state. The justices believe this text violates the Constitution, reading that the right to property is guaranteed and protected by law and private ownership is inviolable. The court also decided that the amendments encroach a constitutional provision saying that the economy of Bulgaria is based of free economic enterprise. The provisions restricting the rights of former owners when their land has been built-up or in the presence of a constituted right to build were also declared unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court invalidated a clause making it possible for agricultural land owners to determine the boundaries of their property solely on the basis of the cadastre and consolidation plan. The Constitutional Court invalidated a text ruling that the owners of agricultural land which for some reason cannot be restored within its real boundaries are compensated by land from the state or municipal land stock only if the compensation does not exceed 0.2 hectares. Here the justices cited a text of the Constitution which says that property can be expropriated only after fair compensation has been ensured in advance. The provision that owners are compensated for the difference between the land subject to restitution and restituted land again only when this compensation does not exceed 0.2 hectares was also invalidated. The Constitutional Court invalidated provisions placing members of cooperatives or members of commercial partnerships in a privileged position by making it possible for them to group adjacent plots in the drawing of the land distribution plan and in collective entering into possession. According to the justices, this text violates the Constitution which says that the state should establish and guarantee equal legal conditions for economic activity to all citizens and corporate entities. The amendment referring to acts of the former totalitarian state council, presidium of the National Assembly and Council of Ministers ceding rights to use agricultural land were unanimously declared as contradicting the Constitution. These acts ceded land which never ceased to be private property, Georgi Markov said. The provisions exempting from judicial control acts of the minister of agriculture and the food processing industry relieving chairmen and other members of the municipal land commissions were also declared unconstitutional. The Constitution recognized the right of citizens to legal protection, including from administrative acts. The Constitutional Court voted down the claims to invalidate as unconstitutional almost all texts referring to the closing down of the liquidation councils and the setting up of a general assembly of land owners.
The Constitutional Court ruled that the possibility provided by the law for a municipal land commission to revise its decisions in the presence of an obvious error or new evidence does not contradict the Constitution. The Constitutional Court also voted down several other challenges to the constitutionality of the amendments to the Land Act. The texts of the Land Act which the Constitutional Court has invalidated will not be applied, Georgi Markov said. In these cases the former provisions shall remain in force.
Bulgaria's foreign exchange reserve added up to 1,466 million US dollars at the end of May, "Standart News" and "Demokratsiya" write. A year ago the foreign exchange reserve was 1,009 million US dollars and 1,342 million in April 1995. The increase is due to US dollar purchases by the National Bank of Bulgaria (BNB), which intervened to prevent a collapse of the money market.
The European Union extended ECU 600,000 under the PHARE program for the development of a system that would facilitate disabled persons' access to motor vehicles and trains, Dimiter Zoev, Head of the Investment Policy Department with the Ministry of Transport, is quoted as saying by "Pari". The bids made by four companies are going to be opened today to choose the one which will draft the necessary legal framework. Initially the project will cover six population centers: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Kurdjali, Bourgas and Stara Zagora.
On June 15, 1995 the Governing Board of the State Fund for Reconstruction and Development approved a loan of 2,000 million leva to fund the investment program of the National Electricity Company, "Troud" says. The decision was made two days after the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Kiril Tsochev to the Kozlodoui Nuclear Power Plant (on the Danube).