BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS HE WILL DISBAND

id: 41745
date: 9/30/2005 15:34
refid: 05SOFIA1685
origin: Embassy Sofia
classification: SECRET
destination: 05SOFIA1618|05STATE181135
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.



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S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 SOFIA 001685

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC KCRM BG
SUBJECT: BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS HE WILL DISBAND
ADVISORY COUNCIL

REF: A. SOFIA 1618

B. STATE 181135 (C-RE5-01170)

Classified By: Amb. John Beyrle for reasons 1.4 (b) and (c).


1. (S) SUMMARY: Interior Minister Rumen Petkov's appointment
of a "Citizen's Advisory Council" consisting largely of
retired Communist-era security officials has caused a
domestic political uproar in Bulgaria that has forced the
Socialist-led government into some quick backtracking. Petkov
told Amb. Beyrle Sept. 30 that he will disband the council
within two months, following passage of the security reform
law in Parliament. Nonetheless, the very naming of such a
retrograde group has only reinforced many Bulgarians' worst
fears about the Socialists (BSP),and even BSP apologists
agree the appointment of the Council was a tremendous
public-relations blunder. Embassy will continue to press
Petkov to make good on his pledge; on balance, we see the
bulk of his appointments to operational positions in the
Ministry as good for continued bilateral cooperation,
especially on the counterterrorism front. END SUMMARY.

"Advisory Council": Forces From the Past
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2. (C) According to Petkov, the 13-member Council was
designed as an outside body of former high-ranking Interior
Ministry officials who could draw on their past experience to
monitor and critique the work of the Ministry, particularly
as restructuring legislation moves forward. The Council,s
membership, however, is a collection of some of Bulgaria,s
worst unreformed and retrograde figures from the communist
era. The panel includes a number of leading figures from the
so-called Generals, Movement, a faction within BSP that was
launched in 1998 as a counterweight to the reformist agenda
of then party chairman Georgi Purvanov. The Generals
strongly opposed Purvanov,s efforts to move the party
towards NATO membership, preferring instead to orient the
country more towards Russia. Many members of the Movement
have close ties with former KGB officials and questionable
Russian businesses. Although the Generals, influence has
waned in recent years, they are still a potent factor in the
BSP, largely due to their economic ties, participation in
party funding and access to valuable information from State
Security and MOI archives. (See full roster and bios at
para. 8)


3. (C) Amb. Beyrle met with Petkov Sept. 30 to convey growing
concern in Washington about the council (ref B). Petkov
reiterated his earlier assertion (ref A) that the council
would have no operational role and no access to classified
information. Further, he added, the council will "cease to
exist" in two months, following passage of the security
reform law currently pending before Parliament. Since the
council had been created to help win support for the
restructuring envisioned in the legislation, there will "be
no need" for its continued existence after the law is passed,
Petkov claimed.

New Council Draws Fire
--------------


4. (C) This rapid backpedaling is clearly a response to
furious criticism of the council from Bulgaria's political
opposition. The two main center-right groups--the Union of
Democratic Forces (UDF) and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria
(DSB)--said the appointment of the Council jeopardized
Bulgaria,s NATO membership and discredits the country in the
eyes of its Western allies. DSB chairman Ivan Kostov called
the appointment of the Council a "shameful act of restoring
the totalitarian past" and an "arrogant provocation against
democracy." The head of UDF Mihailova remarked that she had
discussed the Council with the deputy heads of NATO in
Brussels and emphasized the murky past of the Council members
and their opposition to democratic reforms.


5. (C) Prime Minister Stanishev has defended Petkov's
decision to create the council both in parliament and with
the press. At the same time, he has underscored the fact
that the Council has no leadership or operational functions
in the Ministry, and subsequently announced that he, and not
a Deputy PM, will have direct oversight of the MOI (as well
as the Defense and Finance Ministries). President Purvanov,
a close ally of Petkov's in the BSP, has made no comment
about the Council. Bulgaria's U.S. Ambassador Poptodorova,
back in Sofia for consultations, told us that Petkov had
surprised both Purvanov and Stanishev when he announced
formation of the council, and that the BSP was scrambling to
limit the fallout. Indeed, even Lyuben Gotsev himself
publicly questioned whether the Council should have been
formed without more thought and argued that, given the recent
controversy, perhaps the Council should be transformed into a
true citizen,s advisory panel, including sociologists and
writers.
Currying Favor with the Generals
--------------


6. (C) Petkov,s motivations for establishing the Council
and choosing its particular members may in part be rooted in
his desire to stay in the good graces of the Generals
Movement. Tatyana Doncheva, a prominent BSP MP and the
Socialists, candidate for the Sofia mayor's race, told us
that by creating the Council Petkov was aiming to preserve
the internal party balance in BSP after the Generals failed
to install their own candidate in the Interior Minister's
post. Although Petkov enjoys warm ties with some of the
Generals, he is not part of their faction and is closer to
the reformist wing, which includes Purvanov and Stanishev.
According to Doncheva, Petkov initiated the Council to secure
support for re-election as deputy chairman at the upcoming
BSP congress. Doncheva, who is no fan of Petkov, said she did
not believe Petkov would give any real powers to the Council,
but mostly sought to soothe the wounded pride of its leaders
so they do not cause him trouble during his term as minister
or initiate actions for his removal from the BSP deputy
leader's post.

COMMENT
--------------


7. (S) Whatever Petkov intended by setting up the Council,
the controversy he sparked demonstrates the high level of
wariness toward the old-guard faction that clearly still
retains some influence within the BSP. We will continue to
press the Stanishev government to see that Petkov carries
through with his stated intention to disband this group.
Overall, personnel decisions he has made on the operational
side, in particular at the head of the main security service,
augur well for continued close cooperation on the
counter-terrorism front. Nonetheless, our ultimate
assessment of Petkov's performance will be based on the
results he shows in reducing the level of corruption and
criminality in Bulgaria, that he himself has told us is his
highest priority. END COMMENT.


8. (U) Members of the MOI Advisory Council:

Lybuen Gotsev: A graduate of Moscow's Foreign Relations
Institute, Gotsev worked for the First Directorate of State
Security from 1961 to 1990. During that time, he served in
Western Europe, Canada and the US. From 1974 to 1982 he was
the Deputy Chief of the First Directorate and later became
Deputy Foreign Minister under Todor Zhivkov,s regime
(1982-1989). He served as Deputy Interior Minister in the
Socialist Lukanov cabinet (1989-1990). In 1996 Gotsev joined
the Board of Directors of Yukos Petroleum, later named Nafex.
He founded Generals, Movement in BSP in January 1998.

Brigo Asparuhov: A former officer of the First Directorate of
State Security, Asparuhov later became the Head of National
Intelligence Service (NIS) from 1991-1997. He joined BSP
after being fired from NIS. Asparuhov was elected to
parliament as a BSP deputy (2001-2005). His nomination to
the post of national security advisor under former Prime
Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg was reversed after protests from
a number of NATO member states, led by the U.S. He is a
founding member of the General,s Movement.

Todor Boyadzheiv: Boyadzheiv held a number of positions in
the communist State Security service, the last of which was
Deputy Chief of First Directorate of State Security. He
served as Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry from
1991-1992. He is a founding member of the Generals' Movement.
Boyadzheiv was elected to parliament as a BSP deputy
(2001-2005).

Ginyo Ganev: Ganev, is a prominent lawyer and son-in-law of
Kimon Georgiev, Bulgaria's first prime minister after the
communist takeover in 1944. He served as Chairman of the
Communist party-linked Fatherland Front until the
organization was disbanded in 1990. He was Chairman of the
Citizens Advisory Panel of Multigroup, one of the biggest
organized crime groups in Bulgaria. Ganev was twice elected
to parliament as a BSP deputy (1997-2005).

Bogomil Bonev: A former police chief of Sofia, Bonev served
as Interior Minister in the Sofianski and Kostov governments.
He was fired by Kostov in 1999 as part a cabinet reshuffled
following allegations of corruption. He is reported to have
ties to the shady businessman Michael Chorny. Bonev launched
the Civic Party in 2000, which failed to get into parliament.
He was equally unsuccessful in his bid to become President
in the 2001 elections.
Lyudmil Marinchevski: Marinchevski worked in the Interior
Ministry from 1966 to 1991. He was Chief Secretary of the
Interior Ministry and late Deputy Interior Minister in
Lukanov governments. His name has appeared on a list of
known State Security agents.

Georgi Lambov: Lambov was fired as Head of the Unit for
Combating Drug Trafficking in the Central Service for
Combating Organized Crime for unauthorized contacts with
suspected organized crime groups; he has served there from
1989 to 1992. He served as Chief Secretary of Interior
Ministry Chief in Videnov government (1995-1997).

Kosta Bogatsevski: Bogatsevski, who currently works as a
lawyer, served as an investigating magistrate in the Interior
Ministry's Chief Investigation Service and later became
Deputy Chief of the National Investigation Service
(1991-1993). He served as Chief Secretary of the Interior
Ministry under the Berov government (1993-1994).

Rumen Stoilov: Stoilov served as Interior Ministry Secretary
under the Berov government (1993-1994) and also as Deputy
Interior Minster in Simeon Saxe-Coburg,s cabinet
(2001-2005).

Goran Simeonov: Simeonov is a former officer of First
Directorate. He is the current Chairman of the Association of
Retired Intelligence Officers, which has ties with Russia,s
organization of retired intelligence officers. Simeonov runs
a number of private businesses (ARIMEX, Hristov & Co.,
partner in EART).

Pavel Nikolov: A former officer of Second Directorate for
State Security (counterintelligence),Nikolov served as
Director of the National Security Service under the Videnov
government (1995-1997). He is Chairman of the Association of
Retired Counterintelligence Officers.

Chavdar Chervenkov: A former employee of the Intelligence
Department of the Army Chief of Staff, Chervenkov became
Deputy Chief of the Army Chief of Staff and later head of
Military Intelligence Service. He was Minister of Interior in
the interim government of Renata Indzhova (1994-1995).

Pencho Penev: Penev is a former Minister of Interior and
Constitutional Court judge. He now heads the National
Institute of Justice, which trains young judges, prosecutors
and investigators.
BEYRLE