BSP on the counter-attack, Christina Dimitrova
BULGARIAN Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev, battling to lift the party out of the controversy into which it has been dumped by allegations it accepted myriad barrels of oil from Saddam Hussein's regime, has vowed to rid the BSP of members who "stick their fingers in the honey".He also pledged to oust from the party those who get involved in nepotism.
At the same time, the BSP has set its cap at precipitating early parliamentary elections. The decision on this course of action was taken at a party seminar this past weekend.
Several days earlier, however, Stainshev did not heed the advice of party members who wanted him to take action against Zahari Zahariev whose name was linked to the Saddam Hussein-Barrelgate scandal.[excerpt]
The latest revelation to emerge from Iraq is provided by the Baghdad-based newspaper Al-Mada, which recently published the names of more than 200 individuals and organizations in more than 40 countries who are alleged to have received oil payoffs from Saddam Hussein in exchange for their support. It could represent just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of showing how Saddam used his petroleum and cash to purchase friends and favors.