News from Bulgaria / Mar 13, 96

From: bulgaria@access1.digex.net (Embassy of Bulgaria)

Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Directory

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA - WASHINGTON D.C.

BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY

13 March, 1996

CONTENTS

[01] BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT TO CYPRUS

Cyprus's Minister of Foreign Affairs Alekos Michaelides descibed the dialogue with his Bulgarian counterpart as extremely useful and said it laid the beginnings of a new stage in the promotion of relations between the two countries.

In reply to a question of a Cypriot journalists if Turkey poses a threat to Bulgaria and security in the Balkans, particularly after the crisis in the Aegean, Minister Pirinski said that such allegations were unfounded. "Whether a country is or is not a threat depends on what it is expected to do and on its relations with its other partners in international organizations. Of course, one should wait and see what the new Turkish Government will do," he stated.

This morning the Bulgarian delegation led by Foreign Minister Pirinski was received by President Glafkos Clerides of Cyrpus. Later on the delegation had a meeting at the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The sides signed a protocol on cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski and Cypriot Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Kyriakos Christofis signed a new agreement on trade and economic cooperation, which reflects the changes in the two countries of the last few years. Under the agreement Bulgarian-Cypriot economic relations will be updated and brought into line with the requirements of the World Trade Organization.

In 1995 trade between the two countries amounted to 12 US dollars, with two-third of it being Bulgarian exports to Cyrpus. Re-export deals are increasingly frequently transacted, using Cyprus as a centre of transit traffic.

It was agreed that Christofis would visit the Spring International Fair in Plovdiv.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Pirinski returned in Bulgaria tonight.

[02] E.B.R.D. EXPECTS 3,500 PARTICIPANTS IN SOFIA MEETING

Fifty eight ministers of finance and heads of national banks will represent their countries at the official sittings on April 15 and 16, said EBRD Secretary General Antonio Maria Costa. He was on a two-day visit to Bulgaria to check the progress of preparations. According to him, at least 2,000 financists, bankers and businessmen are expected to take part in the parallel meetings that would consider investment projects.

Bulgaria occupies an intermediate position on the list of East European countries but it has made considerable progress in regard to its macroeconomic results of late, Antonio Maria Costa said.

Hosting the EBRD annual meeting is particularly important for Bulgaria's prestige; its approval as a host is a recognition for the country's progress along the path of reform, Deputy Prime Minister Roumen Gechev stated. He is the Bulgarian co-chairman of the organizational committee.

[03] PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION VISIT TO BELGRADE

Meeting the Bulgarian parliamentarians later in the day FRY President Zoran Lilic said he also supports the Bulgarian initiative. The Bulgarian delegation is on a visit to Belgrade as of March 10.

Both Prime Minister Kontic and President Lilic voiced Belgrade's principled position for intensifying relations with Sofia. This has been proved by the accelerated drafting of the agreement for cooperation and good neighbourly relations and the agreement for avoidance of double taxation between the two countries. The hosts stressed that they rely very much on Bulgaria's support for FR Yugoslavia's reintegration into the international organizations and financial institutions, as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Blagovest Sendov voiced Bulgaria's hope for a fast promotion of economic cooperation, elimination of certain obstacles to this process like high road tolls and gaining Belgrade's support for Bulgarian projects on the reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bulgarian side said it is for quick restoration of transport communications with the rest of Europe. In this connection Kontic familiarized the guests with the results of yesterday's negotiations between the foreign ministers of FRY and Croatia, stressing that one of the agreement provided reopening of the Belgrade-Zagreb high way. President Lilic stated his country's readiness for a speedy and full reactivation of the relations with Croatia and Macedonia.

At the talks between Kontic and Lilic with Sendov and his party, special attention was paid to the problems of the Bulgarian minority in FRY. The Head of the FRY Government said there are no reasons why the right of national self-identification of the Bulgarians in FR Yugoslavia should not be exercised. "If there are any problems, they are not political, but social and economic," Radoje Kontic said.

After the meetings Valentin Vassilev, MP of the Union of Democratic Forces, made a special point before this BTA correspondent that he insisted bilateral relations be placed on a principled and steady basis during the talks, no matter which is the ruling party. Vassilev added that these relations should not be maintained at the expense of third countries or to the detriment of Bulgaria's aspiration to integrate into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

Later in the day the Bulgarian delegation was received by Serb President Slobodan Milosevic. Milosevic said that Bulgaria and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have no political problems.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Zhan Videnov has fine initiatives, Milosevic said in connection with Videnov's idea for a meeting of the Balkan foreign ministers.

In the sides' shared opinion, Bulgarian and Yugoslav peoples are close, which is a prerequisite for active cooperation, that has become especially vigorous in the past few month. "Similar approach is to the interest of everybody in the Balkans. It is time to create conditions so that there will never be a war like that in Yugoslavia again," Milosevic said.

Also today the Bulgarian parliamentarians held talks with Vuk Draskovic, Leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement, one of the opposition parties in FRY. Draskovic familiarized the guests with the initiatives to unite the opposition in the country.

This evening the Bulgarian delegation left for the Dimitrovgrad municipality to meet with the ethnic Bulgarians, living there.

[04] PRESIDENT MILAN KUCAN OF SLOVENIA IN SOFIA

Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - President Milan Kucan of Slovenia arrived on an official visit here today, the first by a Slovenian head of state to Bulgaria. Mr Kucan, who had met Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev on three previous occasions, today held a nearly 40 minute face-to-face conversation with his host. Later on, the two were joined by their delegations. "We found that our interests are identical within the framework of bilateral cooperation, regional cooperation in the Balkans and in Central Europe, as well as in our aspirations to the European Union and NATO," Dr Zhelev told reporters after the talks. President Kucan stressed that an identity of interests had been demonstrated on the implementation of the Dayton Agreement and on strengthening peace and stability in the region "mindful that this peace can neither be bought nor imposed." The shared interests of Bulgaria and Slovenia in respect of the Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA), the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were on the agenda. The sides also considered Slovenia's special interest in cooperating with Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), of which Bulgaria is a member. Dr Zhelev said the two presidents agreed that there are far broader opportunities for bilateral cooperation compared to what has been actually achieved. The Bulgarian President believes that the legal framework between the two countries has to be completed with agreements on the avoidance of double taxation and reciprocal investment protection, trade and economic cooperation, transport, agriculture and culture. President Kucan also stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation. He singled out economic cooperation and the talks on establishment of a free trade zone. Bulgarian President Zhelev recalled that Bulgaria is one of the first countries to recognize the independence of the four Yugoslav republics, including Slovenia. "We are glad about the successes of the Republic of Slovenia, about its fastest and most civilized emergence from the conflict and the intricate knot of problems facing the successor states of former Yugoslavia," the Bulgarian President noted. Tomorrow the Slovenian President will confer with Prime Minister Zhan Videnov and National Assembly Chairman Blagovest Sendov. He is expected to address the Bulgarian Parliament as well.

[05] PRIME MINISTER RECEIVES I.M.F. MISSION

Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - Meeting with Prime Minister Zhan Videnov, Anne McGuirk, International Monetary Fund Mission Leader for Bulgaria, said that broadening the taxation basis and the management of the revenue side of the budget were an important factor for the tax reform, the Government Press Office announced.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister stressed the Government's readiness for an enhanced dialogue with the IMF in the coming months and for the achievement of results already in the first half of 1996, the Government press release says. Videnov expressed his hope that the negotiations with the IMF and the World Bank would be successful.

Anne McGuirk paid special attention to the problems of the banking system and described Bulgaria's liberal foreign exchange regime as a particular achievement. She wished better coordination between the National Bank of Bulgaria and the Cabinet. The adoption of a package of measures that would regulate the bankruptcy of banks, bank accounting, banking supervision and the procedure of collecting debts were also among the topics of discussion.

McGuirk was acquainted with the Government's programme for a reform in tax legislation and informed about the progress of talks on the income policy with the social partners.

[06] MEETING OF BALKAN TELECOMMUNICATION MINISTERS IN SOFIA TO BE HELD

Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - A meeting of Balkan communications ministers will be held on April 25-26 in Sofia, a news conference at the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC) today was told. The meeting will be under the auspices of Prime Minister Zhan Videnov and will be hosted by the Committee of Posts and Telecommunications. The key topics on the agenda are the establishment of a Balkan telecommunications pool and of a Balkan post pool. The participants will also discuss the setting up of a Balkan satellite organisation (Balkansat) and will consider the prospects for a joint launch of a satellite.

The news conference was told that the BTC will demand that a meeting with the management of the shareholders of the Mobikom joint venture be held within 15 days in Sofia. One of the company's shareholders, the British Cable & Wireless has been refusing such a meeting for already third month, said Vladimir Poptodorov, Director General at the BTC. The meeting will seek to settle the disputes on the management of Mobikom. BTC holds 39 per cent interest in Mobikom, the state-owned company Radioelectronic Systems 12 per cent and the British Cable & Wireless - 49 per cent. According to BTC President Mihail Danov at its latest meeting of shareholders the BTC has come up with its candidate for the position of the current head of the JV John Murray. The suggestion was, however, rejected by the British company which used its majority quota. According to the company's statutes, the manager is to be elected by a qualified majority. In addition to replacements in Mobikom's management, the meeting will also discuss certain financial issues, Mr Poptodorov said. The BTC has not received dividends from the company's profits for already three years. Last year, for example, Mobikom showed 2 million US dollars profit, and the BTC is supposed to receive some 800,000 US dollars of them.

[07] HAEMOPHILIACS PROBLEMS OVER HIV-CONTAMINATED BLOOD PRODUCTS

Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - The dramatic decline in blood donation practice in Bulgaria makes senseless the establishment of a centre for thermal inactivation of HIV in blood products, national consultant in transfusion haematology Prof. Toshko Lisichkov told today a special news conference called by the Haemophilia Association. According to Prof. Lisichkov a centre of that kind would only operate efficiently if it may treat 80,000-100,000 litre of plasma and Bulgaria currently has as little as 10,000 litre of blood plasma. It would be better if Bulgaria sends the blood plasma to be inactivated at a reliable plant abroad.

The problem of AIDS infection through transfusion of blood products recently became a subject of heated discussions following disclosures of about a month ago that several hospitals in Sofia and around the country have used HIV-contaminated fibrinogen and antihaemophilic globulin (AHG). Today's press says that after investigations into the case it was found out that the fibrinogen, transfused to more than 30 patients was not contaminated with HIV, but that the AHG was AIDS-contaminated. The substance was transfused to five haemophiliacs, two of whom have already died of their other serious illnesses.

Deputy Chairman of the Haemophilia Association Ivan Chilev told reporters that the first AIDS-infected haemophiliac in Bulgaria was registered in 1986. Of the 600 haemophiliacs in this country a total of 14 have been infected by AIDS so far.

[08] TSAR IVAN ALEXANDER'S TETRAEVANGELIA TO BE SHOWN IN BULGARIA

Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - The medieval Bulgarian manuscript Tsar Ivan Alexander's Tetraevangelia [Four Gospels], which is kept at the British Museum will be displayed in the National History Museum in Sofia between April 19 and June 29, Culture Minister Georgi Kostov said today. The presentation will be made in the framework of the British Days Festival of culture in Bulgaria between March 26 and June 29.

The book of gospels was made on the order of Tsar Ivan Alexander in 1356 and is one of the most lavishly illuminated monuments of medieval Bulgarian culture. In 1837 Lord Robert Curzon of Britain, a traveller and collector, found the Tetraevangelia among more than 200 Bulgarian and Serb manuscripts in the library of the St Paul Monastery on Mt Athos. The manuscript was kept in the Curzon's private collection until 1876 and was thus preserved from the fire which in 1907 devastated the library of the St Paul Monastery. The manuscript has been kept at the British Museum ever since 1876.

In the framework of the British Days Festival the Royal National Theatre will present "Rozenkrantz and Guildenstern are dead" by Tom Stoppard in the "Ivan Vazov" National Theatre on May 29 - June 1. The British Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra will perform with Bulgarian soloists and the Bulgarian choir "Prof. Vassil Arnaoudov" at the Rousse Music Days on March 26-27. The Orchestra of St. John Smith Square will perform with the Bulgarian violinist Mincho Minchev at Sofia Music Weeks Festival and at the Varna Summer Festival. The festival programme also includes an exhibition of contemporary British novelists, inauguration of the "Oxford Philosophy Lecture Series", ballet and rock performances, as well as a film festival of the Monty Python team of comics.

[09] MEETING ON ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION IN DANUBE RIVER BASIN

Sofia, March 12 (BTA) - There are seven priority sites along the Danube river on the plan which Bulgaria presented to the World Bank, the UN Development Programme, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the American Agency for International Development, national coordinator of the programme for environment protection in the Danube river basin Ilia Nachkov told BTA at the end of the ninth meeting here today of the programme's supreme council.

The two-day meeting in Sofia decided that the Danubian states work out their national action plans and approve them as official documents by the end of the year. The plans will be used by the international financial institutions for transferring financial assistance to projects they have approved. At the meeting the financial organisations presented their requirements to the potential applicants for project financing.

The delegates decided to suggest to the governments of the Danubian states to hold another ministerial meeting to consider the problems of the Danube river basin.