Bulgaria will back British plan for Iraqi disarmament

AP | 3/14/03

[kattracks]

SOFIA, Bulgaria, Mar 14, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Bulgaria said Friday it will back a British plan pressing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to take concrete steps to avert war, saying it opens up prospects for a new consensus in the U.N. Security Council.

"The government has authorized the Bulgarian permanent representative to the U.N. Security Council to say that we will support the British proposal," Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said in a national radio interview Friday.

Pasi spoke from Tokyo, where he was on an official visit.

Pasi said Britain's proposal that Saddam take six steps to ease the threat of war and send a clear signal that he is disarming "open up a prospect for a new consensus and a breakthrough in the position of the Security Council members."

In the same interview, he said also he was "slightly surprised" at a statement by European Union Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, who reportedly had voiced disappointment about Bulgaria's and Romania's positions on Iraq.

"The crisis in Iraq is not and cannot stand in the way of Bulgaria's EU integration," Pasi said.

The Balkan country hopes to join the EU in 2007 and is concerned about the split between current members over the Iraq crisis. Britain, Spain and Italy support the United States, while France and Germany lead a group opposing U.S. actions.

French President Jacques Chirac last month warned Bulgaria and other Eastern European nations their efforts to join the EU could be jeopardized by their pro-American stance and support of Washington's tough approach on Iraq.

Bulgaria, a temporary member of the Security Council elected for two years, was invited last autumn to join NATO in 2004 and relies heavily on U.S. support for joining the alliance.

[AntiGuv]

We've been saved!

[dc-zoo]

I thought Bulgaria was already with us earlier.

[George W. Bush]

Recently, a number of FReepers wrote notes to various Bulgarian officials to thank them for their support, both in the Security Council and in offering us overflight and basing rights in their country. I wrote to Mr. Pasi myself. I received the following reply from them just yesterday:

Thank you, for your warm words.

On February 7, 2003 the Bulgarian Parliament voted with 165 in favor, none against, and 48 abstentions on a Resolution to grant the United States and future international coalition forces overflight, temporary basing and transit rights in Bulgarian territory.

The Parliament also authorized the deployment of Bulgarian nuclear, biological and chemical protection unit (up to 150 troops) to Jordan, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait in support of a possible coalition operation for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1441.

The Resolution authorizes the Sarafovo air-base in Bourgas, Southeast Bulgaria, to be used by the US Air Forces and coalition forces. The same airbase was successfully used by the USAF during the first phase of the Operation Enduring Freedom. The first two US aircraft, accompanied by their respective personnel have already arrived in Sarafovo – end of February.

In his speech in the Parliament the Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha stressed that, although Bulgaria continues to work for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis, it wishes to give a strong signal of its solidarity with the community of freedom and democracy and that it is a responsible member of the international counterterrorism coalition.

In the latest statement by the Bulgarian Ambassador to UN on Friday, March 7, 2003 he said that Bulgaria is prepared to support a next UN resolution on Iraq as a means to accelerate the pressure on Sadam’s regime to disarm.

If you are interested you can find more information about Bulgaria on the Embassy web site www.bulgaria-embassy.org as well on other web sites. Bulgaria is famous with its wines, feta cheese, sea and ski resorts. It has more than 13 centuries of history as a country.

Last November Bulgaria was invited to join NATO. We expect the ratification process in the US Senate to be completed by the end of May 2003. We would very much appreciate if you write a short letter to your Senator in support of the ratification of Bulgaria’s membership in NATO.

All the best,

Zlatin Krastev
Congressional Liaison Officer
Embassy of Bulgaria, Washington DC, 20008
t. (202) 387-0174; fax: (202) 234 79-73
www.bulgaria-embassy.org

Perhaps some of us could take this opportunity to write a brief note to our U.S. senators to support the vote for Bulgaria's entry into NATO. Having supported us so loyally may make Bulgaria and the rest of New Europe targets for reprisals by the Weasel countries.

Please take a moment to return the favor.