Bulgarian President, PM, Parliament Leader Make Joint Statement after Karbala Attack

UN Security Council Members Strongly Condemn Repeated Attacks in Iraq

President, Prime Minister, Parliament Chairman Meet Bodies of Five Bulgarian Soldiers Killed in Iraq

21 Lightly Wounded Servicemen Return from Karbala Monday Evening

Bulgarian President, PM, Parliament Leader Make Joint Statement after Karbala Attack

In a joint statement issued Monday, the President, Prime Minister and Parliament leader of Bulgaria say that the circumstances before and during the deadly attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala Saturday are being analyzed with a view to taking extra measures that will minimize further risk for the Bulgarian soldiers there. President Georgi Purvanov, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdjikov issued the statement following a meeting with the President.

The multinational forces in Karbala were the target of a suicide car attack that killed four Bulgarian soldiers, two Thai and many Iraqis. Another Bulgarian died of his wounds later. Twenty six Bulgarian soldiers were injured and four are in life danger.

The three leaders say that with the death of the five servicemen Bulgaria loses excellent soldiers who carried their duty with dignity and gave their lives in the battle of the international community against terror. The message goes on to offer, on behalf of the whole Bulgarian nation, heart-felt condolences to the families and relatives of the victims for their huge loss and grief.

"The strength of a nation shows in hard times. We believe that we will remain united and stong in the face of ordeal, as we have more than once in the Bulgarian history," the statement goes.

UN Security Council Members Strongly Condemn Repeated Attacks in Iraq

United Nations Security Council members condemned "in the strongest terms" "the repeated attacks in Iraq on foreign and Iraqi nationals and international and Coalition personnel," the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a press release. It quoted a press statement delivered Monday by Ambassador Stefan Tafrov of Bulgaria, which holds the CouncilТs rotating presidency until December 31, 2003.
The statement cited a deadly suicide car bombing on Saturday against Bulgarian, Thai and other international personnel in Karbala, expressing the Council members' "deepest sympathy and condolences to the peoples and authorities concerned and to all the victims of the attacks and their families."

The members urged all States "to fully cooperate in the efforts to find and bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these attacks." They also reaffirmed the need to implement fully Security Council Resolution 1511, which outlined the roles of the UN, the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the Iraqi Governing Council in international efforts to bring peace and stability to Iraq. The Security Council President urged all States to cooperate to that end.

President, Prime Minister, Parliament Chairman Meet Bodies of Five Bulgarian Soldiers Killed in Iraq

An An 26 aircraft of the Bulgarian Air Forces carrying the bodies of the five Bulgarian servicemen killed in a suicide car bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday landed at Sofia Airport around 2.35 a.m. on Tuesday.

President Georgi Purvanov, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdjikov met the plane at Sofia Airport. A Bulgarian military delegation led by Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov and Chief of the Bulgarian General Staff General Nikola Kolev, 22 wounded servicemen and four more (two in psychological shock and two for personal reasons) returned from Iraq on board the same plane.

Purvanov heard Kolev's report on the visit of the Bulgarian military delegation to Iraq. The coffins of the five deceased servicemen, covered with the national flag, were carried from the plane by guards of honour. Attending the ceremony were also Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, Simeon II National Movement floor leader Stanimir Ilchev and senior officials of the Geneal Staff of the Bulgarian Army.
The wounded servicemen were taken to the Military Medical Academy in specially equipped ambulances and vehicles, escorted by police and military police cars. Information about the state of the wounded will be made available on Tuesday by the Military Medical Academy.

21 Lightly Wounded Servicemen Return from Karbala Monday Evening

Nineteen Bulgarian servicemen that were wounded lightly in an attack on a Bulgarian contingent in Iraq and two who are in a state of shock are returning home Monday evening on board a Bulgarian plane, Government Spokesman Dimiter Tsonev said, quoting chief of the army's General Staff General Nikola Kolev.
There would be no need to use a US plane to transport ten of the wounded Bulgarians, as was the initial idea, Tsonev explained. Four seriously injured have already been taken to a hospital in Germany. Five Bulgarian servicemen were killed December 27 in a suicide car attack on a Bulgarian battalion based in the town of Karbala. They are the first Bulgarian victims in Iraq where Bulgaria has a 480-strong contingent since August.
Two Thai and 12 Iraqis were also killed in the attack. Tsonev quoted Gen. Kolev as saying that morale is high in the Bulgarian contingent and that all are highly-motivated to perform their tasks. Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov and Gen. Kolev, who left Sunday night for Iraq, met there with Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, who assessed highly the operation of the Bulgarian contingent in the aftermath of the attack.
Svinarov and Gen. Kolev also met with Polish Major General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz, commander of the Polish stabilization zone in Iraq and commander of a multinational division in Iraq. Maj. Gen. Tyszkiewicz assessed positively the Bulgarian servicemen's actions. The Government spokesman also said that, according to an analysis that is being made in Karbala, all forces in Karbala - Polish, US and Bulgarian ones - had acted quickly and in a professional manner. The Bulgarians prevented serious damage that could have claimed more lives, said Tsonev.
According to the analysis, the medical evacuation operation, too, had been quick and timely. The situation in Karbala is calm at present. Tsonev said, quoting Gen. Kolev. Strict security has been introduced. The Government declared December 30 a day of national mourning for the victims of the Karbala attack.

Life of Bulgarian Servicemen Wounded in Karbala Out of Danger
The life of the Bulgarian servicemen who were wounded in a suicide car attack in the Iraqi town of Karbala on December 27 is not in danger, Brigadier General Stoyan Tonev, head of the Academy of Military Medicine, told a news conference on Monday. Five Bulgarians died in the attack. Four Bulgarians who have sustained serious injuries were taken to a US hospital in Germany Monday morning together with servicemen from other countries. Two Bulgarians are conscious, one of them has been put on a breathing machine; the third one has been anaesthetized. A fourth Bulgarian has been wounded by a shell in the neck and in the left arm and is currently undergoing a surgery.

Four Bulgarian Servicemen Wounded in Karbala Airlifted by US Plane to Germany
Four Bulgarians wounded in Karbala were airlifted out of Baghdad to Landstuhl, Germany, by a US plane at 7:11 hrs on Monday, the government information service said. Four Bulgarians from the Polish-led battalion based in Karbala were killed in a terrorist attack on December 27. Another Bulgarian died from his wounds on December 28. Twenty-six Bulgarians were wounded. The four airlifted servicemen are expected to be admitted to a US military hospital around noon. A Bulgarian military doctor and the military attache at the Bulgarian Embassy will be there on their arrival. More details will be available in the afternoon, the government information service said. Another nine more lightly wounded Bulgarians will be flown to Sofia by a US airplane for treatment at the Military Medical Academy.
The four servicemen who are to be treated in Germany are in stable condition, they are not getting worse, which is a good sign, bTV learned from Brigadier General Stoyan Tonev, Director of the Military Medical Academy. He said the plane which flew a Bulgarian delegation and a medical team to Iraq had landed. Gen. Tonev said no one's life was at risk among those wounded who are currently in the hospital in Baghdad or in Karbala.

Bulgarian Medical Team Examines Wounded Bulgarian Soldiers in Baghdad Hospital
A Bulgarian medical team is examining the Bulgarian soldiers wounded in a Saturday suicide car attack in Karbala, to decide whose condition will allow an airlift to Bulgaria or Germany for medical treatment, Defence Ministry PR officer Roumyana Strougarova told BTA Monday. The team of medics arrived in Baghdad on board the plane that took to Iraq the Bulgarian Defence Minister and the Chief of General Staff.
The Saturday terror attack against the Bulgarian bases in Karbala killed four Bulgarians with a fifth one dying from his wounds in hospital later. Twenty-six were injured and some are in critical condition In Iraq, Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov and Chief of General Staff General Nikola Kolev have left Baghdad for Karbala. On its way back to Bulgaria, the Defence Minister's plane will bring the bodies of the dead soldiers and some of the wounded. They are due in Bulgaria in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Defence Ministry PR officer confirmed that a plane with four seriously wounded Bulgarian soldiers had arrived in Germany. The wounded were met by a doctor of the Bulgarian Military Medical Academy and he is expected to report their condition later on Monday afternoon. Meanwhile the Presidential Press Secretariat reported that President Purvanov has received a message of condolences from French President Jaques Chirac.

Phrasebook Published for Iraq Mission
Special phrasebooks will be provided to the second Bulgarian battalion which is due to leave for Iraq in January 2004. According to one of the authors, Colonel Ivan Yonchev, the book has been published with financial assistance from the British Council and has a print run of 550. It contains phrases frequently used during peacekeeping missions, transcribed and translated into English and Arabic.

Libyan Court Hears AIDS Case
The Criminal Court in Benghazi on Monday heard a case in which six Bulgarians are charged with intentionally infecting Libyan children with the virus that causes AIDS, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said in a press release. The Criminal Court received a report from a five-member medical committee which had to examine all medical records relevant to the case. Copies of the report will be made available to the defence on Thursday, January 1, 2004.
The Court scheduled the next hearing of the case for January 12, when the lawyers of the Bulgarian defendants are expected to make statements on the findings reported by the medical committee. The judge said the Court will not consider any further civil claims. The hearing was attended by the six Bulgarian defendants, their Bulgarian lawyer Plamen Yalnuzov, and an assistant of their Libyan lawyer Osman Bizanti. Yalnuzov arrived in Libya late Sunday night in a government aircraft after technical problems prevented him from using a scheduled air service.
Bulgarian Ambassador to Libya Zdravko Velev and the consuls of Italy and Belgium were also in the court room.


HOME POLICY NEWS
Bulgaria Mourns Loss of Five Soldiers in Karbala, Iraq
On Tuesday, Bulgaria mourns the death of five soldiers killed in a suicide car bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday. The five soldiers, whose coffins arrived by military transport plane late Monday night, are lying in state at the Central Military Club in Sofia, and mourners will come to pay their last respects. Flags are flown at half-mast, and all official observances and celebrations in Sofia and across the country have been called off during a day of national mourning declared by government decision.
National radio and television are broadcasting mainly solemn classical music instead of their usual programming. The five servicemen will be buried in their home places. The country is in shock and grieving the loss. These are the first Bulgarian victims in Iraq and the largest number of Bulgarian servicemen to be lost in an overseas mission since World War II.

Civilian, Military Leaders to Confer on Bulgarian Contingents Abroad on January 8
Bulgaria's civilian and military leaders will meet on January 8, 2004 to assess the preparedness, comprehensive support and capability of the Bulgarian military contingents abroad to accomplish their mission. The meeting was called Monday by President Georgi Purvanov, who is concurrently Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
The participants will also arrive at conclusions and work out military technological measures for enhancement of the combat worthiness and safety of the servicepersons abroad, Purvanov's Press Secretariat said Monday.
The decision to call the meeting comes two days after five Bulgarian servicemen were killed and 26 were injured in a terrorist car bomb attack against a compound of the Bulgarian battalion deployed in Karbala, Southern Iraq.
At the January 8 meeting, Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov and General Nikola Kolev, Chief of General Staff of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, will report on the subject. Also taking part will be Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdjikov, Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, Transport and Communications Minister Nikolay Vassilev, Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov, National Assembly Foreign Policy, Defence and Security Committee Chairman Venko Alexandrov, the Chief of the Land Forces Staff, Lieutenant General Zlatan Stoikov, the Chief of the Air Staff, Lieutenant General Dimiter Georgiev, and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emil Lyutskanov.

Leading Bulgarian Media Chiefs "Upset" by "Slow, Ill-Coordinated Reaction" of Institutions of State to Karbala Terror Act
The chiefs of ten leading Bulgarian media Monday issued a statement saying they are upset by the "slow reaction and lack of coordination among the institutions of State" in providing information on a terrorist car bomb attack against a camp of the Bulgarian battalion in Karbala, Iraq, on December 27, in which five Bulgarian servicemen were killed and 26 were injured.
"The delay of information on developments resulted in unjustified tension," reads the statement, signed by the chiefs of the Bulgarian News Agency, the Bulgarian National Radio, the Bulgarian National Television, bTV, Nova Television, Darik Radio, and the "Standart News," "Novinar," "Troud" and "24 Chassa" dailies.
Conflicting reports were released in the first hours after the incident. The Defence Ministry said later on that the official announcement had been delayed in order to check the information and to inform the bereaved first. This was confirmed Monday by Government Spokesman Dimiter Tsonev, who attributed the delay to the disruption of communications with the camp in Karbala as a result of the explosion, and to the need to identify the victims with their nationality and exact names and to follow the standing procedure for notification of the families. "All possible military, diplomatic and intelligence channels were used to establish contact with the Bulgarian contingent on Saturday," Tsonev said.
"In hard times, every people must rally around its national cause. We back the legitimately formulated position of the Bulgarian institutions: that Bulgaria will be an integral part of the anti-terror coalition. We therefore oppose any attempts to grossly politicize and exploit the soldiers' tragic deaths and their families' bereavement," the nine media chiefs write in their statement.
In a separate development, the Appellate Military Prosecution Office said Monday it has instituted investigative proceedings to establish whether any officials had breached the rules and had thus negligently contributed to the death of the Bulgarian servicemen in Karbala.

2004 Budget Will Leave Millions of Bulgarians with Lower Disposable Income Next Year, President Purvanov Observes
The disposable income of millions of Bulgarians will be lower in 2004 because of a negligible increase of pensions and salaries in public-financed organizations and a rise in unavoidable costs, which will increase the need of state support for large groups of Bulgarians, President Georgi Purvanov predicts in observations released Monday on the 2004 National Budget Act that Parliament voted conclusively on December 18.
The President decreed the gazetting of the law because he realizes that a possible imposition of a veto would have significant political ramifications surpassing the significance of a veto over any other legislation. "Considering the negligible, under 1 per cent increase of pensions in real terms and on an average monthly basis and a 2 per cent rise of salaries in public-financed organizations, and the hike of the prices of heat power, electricity, fuels and cigarettes, millions of Bulgarians will find themselves with lower disposable income," the observations read.
"The 2004 budget does not provide convincing arguments in favour of Bulgarians' expectations of a substantial economic growth and a tangible improvement of the quality of life that would prepare this country for successful integration into the European Union as from 2007," Purvanov argues. In his opinion, the legal conformity of some formulations of the Budget Act is doubtful. Some experts whom the President consulted fear that the over 700 million leva in off-budget items will disrupt the transparency of public spending.
"No sufficiently effective mechanism exists to control the advisability and effectiveness of the expenditures effected by the commercial corporations that are to be provided with over 700 million leva in equity or investment loans. There is no guarantee that the capitalization of commercial corporations by public funds will not distort competition on certain markets and will not impair consumers' interests," Purvanov observes. The Constitutional Court will probably be approached for an opinion on this problem.
"The controversial points in the budget could have been avoided if privatization proceeds and budget investments in priority areas were included on the revenue and expenditure sides of the executive budget. The legality, transparency and efficiency of public spending would thus be enhanced, and the commendable idea of investment in infrastructure would not be discredited," the observations say. The increased outlays on education would be channelled mainly in appointments of teachers, while investments will be cut from 71 million to 46 million leva. In this way, the quality of education will not improve and the school system reform will be delayed, the head of state argues.
Health care will experience similar problems, as there is no clear and financially resourced reform there to improve the quality of services provided to the public.

ECONOMY, BUSINESS & FINANCE
Bulgaria Assigned First Investment-Grade Credit Rating in 2003
In 2003 Bulgaria was assigned its first investment-grade credit rating by the Japan Credit Rating Agency. The public debt/GDP ratio reached 47 per cent, and the government and Parliament adopted a debt management strategy. Besides positive developments, 2003 also saw resignations at the Finance Ministry, measures for fighting the grey economy and corruption, and the inevitable political bargaining. Different agencies upgraded Bulgaria's credit rating on four occasions, and the Japan Credit Rating Agency assigned long-term foreign currency securities a rating of "BBB-"/outlook stable. Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings upgraded their ratings of Bulgaria one notch, from "BB" to "BB+".
Moody's raised the sovereign ceiling for foreign-currency bonds two notches, from B1 to Ba2, which happens rarely. The decrease in the dollar-denominated debt and the increase in the euro-denominated debt to 65-70 per cent of the total, as well as the increase in the proportion of the internal debt at the expense of the external debt are among the main aims of the debt management strategy.
Of the nine measures for fighting the grey economy announced in May, the closure of duty-free shops was the most disputed. It was opposed not only by the affected operators, but also by MPs of the government coalition made up of the Simeon II National Movement and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. The decision was not implemented, although the relevant amendments to the Excise Duties Act were approved at a closed-door government meeting back in July. A number of resignations were tendered by members of Finance Minister Milen Velchev's team, of which his own came as the biggest surprise.
In May Velchev's deputy Gati Al-Jebouri resigned for personal reasons. Although Velchev repeatedly voiced respect for this decision, there were lingering doubts that the resignation had been demanded. Stamen Tassev replaced Al-Jebouri in August. In early August, Deputy Finance Minister Krassimir Katev announced he would resign by the year's end. His motive was that 90 per cent of the tasks had been accomplished in the first half of the government's four-year term. Katev resigned his position in December and was replaced by Ilia Lingorski. Also in August, only two weeks after a cabinet reshuffle, the public and politicians were surprised by Velchev's resignation. It was offered to Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on August 6.
The stated reasons included insufficient support for carrying on with the conservative fiscal policy and differences with MPs of the government coalition over restrictions on duty-free trade. Also, the Interior Ministry was blamed for its inaction as untrue allegations were made about the finance minister's contacts with persons of dubious reputation. Although many people did not believe that the resignation was prompted by the officially stated motives, it became a test for the political support for the finance minister, a key figure in the government.
Velchev withdrew his resignation on August 20, saying he had been assured of support for his fiscal policy. More than any time since the currency board arrangement was introduced, politicians tried to intervene and influence finance-related decision-making. This was particularly obvious during the election of a new central bank governor after Svetoslav Gavriiski's six-year term expired on June 11.
The government coalition and the opposition could not rally round a compromise figure for four months, although both sides argued that a professional without political commitments was needed, who should be supported by MPs outside the government coalition as well. The first stage of setting up a National Revenue Agency took place in 2003. It is expected to increase revenue collection by nearly 600 million leva.
One of the most hotly disputed receivables was arranged during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Bulgaria in March. The Russian debt was set at 88.5 million dollars. Velchev was named Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum in Davos, becoming one of 100 young leaders in the world. He thus joined past recipients of the honour such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Microsoft President Bill Gates and Harvard Professor Jeffrey Sachs.

Bulgaria Bans Beef Imports from US
By an order of the Agriculture Minister of Monday, Bulgaria bans the import of cattle and meat and products thereof, originating from the US State of Washington. The ban will be effective after it is published in the State Gazette Tuesday. Agriculture Minister Mehmed Dikme told the Daily News of BTA that they have information of mad cow in another seven states of the US and a ban on imports from there will be introduced in early January. The Agriculture Ministry told BTA that the ban is also valid for processed meat products, animal feed, feed supplements and bio-concentrates containing mammal and poultry proteins.
The ban is not valid for milk and dairy products, and gelatine produced from animal hide. The deputy chief of the National Veterinary Medicine Service has been put in charge of monitoring the observation of the ban. The ban shall not cover livestock and products thereof, exported from Washington before December 23

OTHER NEWS
Newspaper to Be Published in Bulgarian, Romanian in Danube East Euroregion
A newspaper named "Dounav Iztok" (Danube East) will be published in Bulgarian and Romanian in the Euroregion of the same name between the two countries from March 2004, said the Danubian Dobroudja Association for Cross-border Cooperation. The Association consists of 14 municipalities of the regions of Silistra, Turgovishte and Dobrich and works within the Danube East Euroregion set up in 2002. The Romanian districts of Constanta, Calarasi and Ialomita are also part of it.
The newspaper will be published under a project of the Association financed with over 31,000 euros from the Phare Cross-border Cooperation Programme. The project is supported by the Silistra municipality and will be carried out in partnership with Romania's Foundation of Independent Radio Stations. The aim is to improve communications in the Euroregion with a population of some 1.5 million people. The newspaper will provide information on the local authorities, civil society and business.
This will be the first newspaper published in a Euroregion involving Bulgaria and Romania.

Dobrich Municipality Signs Street Cleaning Contract with Schelle Bulgaria
Dobrich Municipality signed a five-year street cleaning contract with Schelle Bulgaria, the Mayor's Office said on Monday. The company will spend 431,000 leva (220,400 euros) on cleaning equipment, said Grigor Alexiev, who heads the local subsidiary of the German company. Schelle Bulgaria will provide various services, such as street sweeping and washing, and street maintenance in winter conditions. Some time ago, Dobrich Municipality awarded a concession contract to Schelle Bulgaria for collection of urban waste.

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Data publicării: 31 Dec 2003 - 12:45