News from Bulgaria, 96-10-16

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From: Embassy of Bulgaria <bulgaria@access1.digex.net>

EMBASSY OF BULGARIA - WASHINGTON D.C.

BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY

16 October, 1996

CONTENTS

[01] RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER LIKELY TO ATTEND 1997 DEFENCE MINISTERS MEETING IN BULGARIA

[02] BULGARIAN-MACEDONIAN EXPERT MEETING ON ROAD TRANSPORT

[03] FERRY SERVICE TO CONNECT BULGARIA AND GEORGIA

[04] BULGARIA, ITALY: COOPERATION IN CARDIOLOGY

[05] SOCIETE GENERALE TO ENHANCE PRESENCE IN BULGARIA

[06] NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT TRUST FUND

[07] BULGARIAN CULTURE MINISTER MARAZOV IN MOSCOW

[08] RALLY, CALLED BY TWO INFLUENTIAL UNIONS, DEMANDS CABINET RESIGNATION

[01] RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER LIKELY TO ATTEND 1997 DEFENCE MINISTERS MEETING IN BULGARIA

Invited to the defence ministers' meeting, due to be held in the first quarter of 1997 on Bulgaria's initiative, are the Defence Ministers of Southeastern Europe, Russia and the United States, as well as officials of the United Nations and the Western European Union, journalists were told by Defence Ministry PR officer Captain Tsvyatko Donchev.

Speaking upon his arrival on Sofia Airport, Gen. Kolesnikov said the aim of his visit is to strengthen and further develop bilateral military cooperation. During talks at the General Staff and the Defence Ministry the sides discussed future cooperation in manufacture, the guest told journalists after the meetings.

Exchange programmes for the training of officers were also on the agenda of Gen. Kolesnikov's talks. The Russian government is currently considering a scheme for extending grants to foreign officers at Russian higher military schools as the fees charged by some Russian schools, particularly the naval ones, are too high for some countries' armed forces, said the Defence Ministry PR officer.

"Bulgaria is not a bridge between Russia and NATO; it pursues an independent policy in this important part of Europe and the world. It is a balanced policy aimed at establishing goodneighbourly relations with all countries in the region," Gen. Kolesnikov said answering a journalist's question. No consensus exists in Bulgaria on this matter; being military, we expect Parliament to address the matter, said Defence Minister Pavlov.

The Russian Chief of General Staff pledged his assistance for the full repayment of Russia's 48 million US dollar debt to Bulgaria by year's end. The debt will be repaid through delivery of spare parts and repair services, said the Bulgarian Defence Minister. He briefed the guest on the situation in the Balkans and the armament in the region, "Daily News" was told by Captain Donchev. Bulgarian military units have already started receiving the 100 T-72 tanks and 100 armoured personnel carriers Russia undertook to grant under a July 1995 agreement, Defence Minister Pavlov said.

The cooperation between the two countries' defence establishments is progressing in compliance with the 1996 schedule, the sides told the press. Cooperation schedules are drawn up annually on the basis of the cooperation agreement between the Bulgarian and Russian defence ministries initialled by then defence ministers Alexander Staliiski and Gen. Pavel Grachev during the Bulgarian visit of President Boris Yeltsin in August 1992. The framework agreement envisages joint action in the military, defence-related technical and research spheres, exchange of equipment and personnel training, development of cultural ties and exchange of visits, among other. The agreement is effective for a period of ten years after which it is extended automatically unless the sides decide to terminate it.

Today's agenda of Gen. Kolesnikov includes meetings with President Zhelyu Zhelev and Prime Minister Zhan Videnov. The guest is expected to visit monuments of culture and history across the country. The Russian delegation will also visit Bulgarian military units and the blue helmets training centre in Karlovo, Central Bulgaria.

Later today the Russian military delegation was received by President Zhelyu Zhelev and Prime Minister Zhan Videnov. Zhelev expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations in the military political and military technical spheres, the chief of the President's military office, Gen. Stefan Dimitrov said after the meeting. Dr. Zhelev thanked for the 100 tanks and 100 armoured infantry carriers Russia sent to Bulgaria. Gen. Kolesnikov said Russia will very soon repay its 48 million US dollar debt to Bulgaria in the form of spare parts and repair services, said Gen. Dimitrov. The Russian military delegation includes a team working to regulate the two countries' relations on the debt. President Zhelev insisted that Russia repay its debt as soon as possible.

After a meeting with the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Gen. Kolesnikov told journalists the two have had an ordinary working conversation. The two reportedly considered ways for the two countries to help each other. The possibility for granting customs concessions for military supplies was also on the agenda. Gen. Kolesnikov is quoted saying that the expansion of NATO is not desirable. The sides also discussed cooperation in the training of military. The guest believes that the upgrading of military equipment should be approached carefully.

On Wednesday the Russian military delegation will meet National Assembly Chairman Blagovest Sendov and will visit Pleven, Northern Bulgaria, and Karlovo, Southern Bulgaria.

[02] BULGARIAN-MACEDONIAN EXPERT MEETING ON ROAD TRANSPORT

In the spirit of liberalization of passenger and cargo transport, the sides agreed to suggest to the two Governments to phase out tolls, including tolls paid by Macedonian vehicles at the Danube bridge between Rousse (Bulgaria) and Giurgiu (Romania).

The sides agreed to exchange 200 bus service licences in the first half of next year. They also agreed to form a joint control commission including officials from various services and institutions, in a bid to eliminate holdups and increase traffic through border checkpoints.

Macedonia proposed to speed up the opening of three new checkpoints on the common border, prioritizing that between Berovo (Macedonia) and Mirevo (Bulgaria). The upgrading and reconstruction of the major checkpoints between Novo Selo and Zlatarevo and Devebair and Gyueshevo will continue. The leaders of the delegations reiterated their positive assessment of the bilateral agreement in transport signed in the autumn of 1993.

[03] FERRY SERVICE TO CONNECT BULGARIA AND GEORGIA

The ferry service will make cargo transport from Western Europe to the CIS republics in Asia, China, Afghanistan and China quicker and cheaper. Bulgaria can be supplied with oil using the service in future, Minister Stamen Stamenov said.

The Georgian side suggested to begin the operation of the first ferry boat in a year. Initially one of the four vessels now servicing the Varna-Ilyichevsk line will go to Poti.

The facilities which will have to be build in Poti require an investment of 12 million US dollars. The Bulgarian side proposed to set up a Bulgarian-Ukrainian-Azerbajani jointstock company for the project. Bulgaria's Transstroi is the most likely candidate for laying the tracks for the trains coming off the ferry.

[04] BULGARIA, ITALY: COOPERATION IN CARDIOLOGY

Fifty four preeminent Italian physicians from the universities and clinics in Bologna, Reggio nell' Emilia, Genoa, Turin, Arezzo, Naples, Rome, Milan, etc. will share their achievements in surgical cardiology with their Bulgarian colleagues. Discussions will focus on four major topics: urgent aid, myocardial ischemia, heart deficiency and heart transplantation, Prof. Mladen Grigorov, Head of the Centre of Cardiology with the Academy of Military Medicine, told journalists.

Men tend to suffer more often than women from cardiovascular diseases in Bulgaria - the ratio is 7 males to 1 female. One of the reports to be presented by the Bulgarian participants in the symposium tackles this problem. Prof. Grigorov pointed out that Bulgaria has excellent young cardiologists. Thanks to their achievements, the average life expectancy has been extended by 20 years, he said.

[05] SOCIETE GENERALE TO ENHANCE PRESENCE IN BULGARIA

De Chalmaison says that Societe Generale will not invest in a Bulgarian bank but will open a new one. It will not service natural persons but newly established enterprises. Without mentioning names, he says that the bank will work with joint ventures operating in Bulgaria at first, then will start servicing local companies too. "Our ambition is the contribute to the promotion of the Bulgarian banking market providing new services and using new techniques," he says.

The bank may take part in Bulgarian privatization. It has a specialized service acting in a similar way in some neighbouring countries.

[06] NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT TRUST FUND

This is the second environment fund established in Eastern Europe. With the support of the Swiss Government a similar fund was set up in Poland, Swiss Ambassador to Bulgaria Gaudenz Ruf said. The Fund's major goal is to finance projects on mitigating the consequences of damage done to the environment and protection of the biological diversity of Bulgaria's nature.

The World Bank has allocated 20,000 US dollars to institutionalize the Environment Fund, Valentin Bossevski, Chairman of the Fund's Management Board, said.

[07] BULGARIAN CULTURE MINISTER MARAZOV IN MOSCOW

"Bulgaria and Russia should revive their economic, cultural and spiritual ties as soon as possible," Marazov was quoted as saying.

[08] RALLY, CALLED BY TWO INFLUENTIAL UNIONS, DEMANDS CABINET RESIGNATION

"Zhan Videnov: Bulgaria's Social Executioner", "We Ran Out of Patience", "No Genocide Against University Students' Families" read some of the slogans. Participants filled the square in front of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, close to the Parliament's building. Before the start of the event, people listened to the evening service at the cathedral and to the national anthem.

"If after the [October 27] presidential elections the politicians fail to overthrow the Cabinet through parliamentary means, the people will do it. The question now is, BSP [Bulgarian Socialist Party] or Bulgaria," Podkrepa leader Konstantin Trenchev told the rally. Trenchev called on the united democratic opposition to leave Parliament immediately after winning the presidential elections.

"Today's rally marks the end of silence and the start of an exodus from the desert, from the devastation of souls," CITUB leader Krustyo Petkov said. "Six months ago 3,000 of us cried out, 'Resign!'. Today we are ten times more and we shall utter the same cry," Petkov said.

Representatives of the European Confederation of Trade Unions, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, of the Federation of Independent Students' Unions in Bulgaria, popular Bulgarian actress Tsvetana Maneva, ordinary workers, doctors and pensioners addressed the rally. Rock singer Georgi Minchev sang songs.

The organizers said the rally is attended by representatives of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Popular Union (the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and the Democratic Party), and he ethnic Turks' Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).

"The UDF is not involved in the rally as a political force, but UDF leaders can go there and state their views as citizens," UDF deputy leader Vassil Gotsev told a news conference earlier today. Asked if he found it inappropriate to stage a trade union rally during the presidential election campaign, Gotsev said that "it neither helps nor hurts the opposition campaign." In his view, the UDF does not want to attribute political meaning to a union initiative. "We hail the rally as an initiative of the civil society, and do not believe that political support will be of any value to it," UDF deputy leader Nadezhda Mihailova said.

At a press conference today, the head of the BSP press office Klara Marinova stressed that since the launch of democratic reforms at the end of 1989, industrial demands accompanied by strong protests have never been raised in a situation of feverish political activity, such as the present election campaign. She recalled that the unions declined to present their demands at the negotiating table at several consecutive meetings of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (of the government, trade unions and employers).

The parliamentary group of the Democratic Left invited representatives of the two amalgamations to consultations on national issues, said the Democratic Left's Stefan Gaitanjiev. Podkrepa said at this time the unions' proposals could not lead to constructive decisions but would only be used to make political gains during the election campaign. The CITUB announced it would start talks, if the BSP refused to comply with the memorandum on the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Gaitanjiev went on to say.

Leaders of the two major amalgamations said last May that they would stage national strikes and other action in the autumn, to protest the economic and social policies of the Government of the BSP and its coalition partners. The demands of the two major amalgamations, supported by smaller unions, include more adequate adjustment of real income to inflation, to offset repeated price shocks and the drastic depreciation of the lev.

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