BULGARIA AGREES TO DEFER IRAQ FOLLOW-ON MISSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SOFIA 001765 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2015 TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL IZ BU NATO SUBJECT: BULGARIA AGREES TO DEFER IRAQ FOLLOW-ON MISSION DECISION REF: A) SECSTATE 188907 B) SOFIA 1719 Classified By: DCM Jeffrey D. Levine for reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) Based on ref A demarche, the Bulgarian government agreed to postpone decision regarding its Iraqi follow-on mission until after President Purvanov,s meeting with President Bush. Rayko Raychev, chief of staff to Foreign Minister Kalfin told DCM that the Council of Ministers, which had been scheduled to decide the issue Oct. 13, would instead conduct only a general discussion that would "not preclude anything." ¶2. (C) In a follow-up discussion, MFA NATO and International Security Director Plamen Bonchev confirmed that the Council of Ministers met, but in response to the U.S. demarche took no decision on Iraq. Bonchev indicated willingness on the part of the GOB to continue discussions on Bulgaria's follow-on mission prior to the Presidents' meeting on October 17 if the U.S. side believes that would be useful. He assured us that Bulgaria will have a presence in Iraq after December 31, and has not definitively ruled out taking part in the MEK mission at Camp Ashraf. However, the parameters for the final decision -- security of the troops, smaller number of forces, limited resources, and foreign policy considerations -- argue for a training mission, according to Bonchev. He suggested that Ambassador Poptodorova would be the most appropriate interlocutor for any discussions between now and the Presidents' meeting, and that the two sides should decide in advance how the two Presidents will publicly characterize Bulgaria's continuing role in Iraq. BEYRLE