BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINSTER DISCUSSES LIBYA, IRAQ,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 001860

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2015
TAGS: PREL MOPS KCRM LY IZ BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIAN FOREIGN MINSTER DISCUSSES LIBYA, IRAQ,
ORGANIZED CRIME

REF: A. SOFIA 1875

B. M. JOHNSON - BRANDON/GAVITO E-MAILS 07 OCT 05
AND 10 OCT 05

Classified By: DCM Jeff Levine, reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Foreign Minister Kalfin told the Ambassador
October 27 that Bulgaria would be ready "soon" to continue
discussions regarding a follow-on mission for Bulgarian
soldiers in Iraq. We will follow up with the MFA the week of
October 31. On the fate of the Bulgarian nurses sentenced to
death in Libya, Kalfin reiterated his appreciation for
President Bush's strong statement of support. He stressed
the importance of making progress before the November 15
Libyan supreme court hearing and expressed his government's
support for an early meeting of the U.S., EU, and Bulgaria
that would also include the Libyans. UK Ambassador Hill
confirmed that HMG had invited the Libyans to such a meeting
in London and that "the assumption was" that Obeidi would
attend. Kalfin expressed the GOB's determination to find the
killer(s) of controversial banker Emil Kyulev (ref A) and
crack down on organized crime. He asked for U.S. assistance
in both areas. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) At a lunch hosted by FM Kalfin October 27 for the U.S.
and UK ambassadors, Kalfin reiterated his government's pledge
to delay the beginning of the current Bulgarian contingent's
withdrawal from Iraq until after the December 15 elections.
He said the government was discussing follow-on options in
the context of President Purvanov's October 18 meeting with
President Bush. He assured Beyrle that the government would
be ready shortly to continue discussions regarding the nature
of the Bulgarian follow-on mission. Kalfin implied that the
GOB was giving the MEK mission a second look in the aftermath
of President Purvanov's meetings and the Bulgarian army's
visit to Camp Ashraf.


3. (C) The primary purpose of the lunch was to discuss next
steps in the case of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya. Kalfin
said the Bulgarians "do not expect a positive result" when
the Libyan supreme court reviews the nurses' death sentence
on November 15. A decision to uphold the sentences will make
it much more difficult to resolve the case, Kalfin said,
because public reaction in Bulgaria will be extremely
negative. The GOB does not want to be in a position where
the Libyans can say "either you do what we want or we kill
them," because the perception in Bulgaria will be that the
government is being blackmailed.


4. (C) Kalfin sketched the outlines of a settlement that
would involve medical assistance for the victims of the
Benghazi AIDS epidemic, possible forgiveness of Libya's 20
million USD debt to Bulgaria, the return of the nurses to
Bulgaria, and "face-saving measures" for Qadhafi. A
recently-created Bulgarian NGO is preparing to meet with the
victims and their families to discuss medical assistance.
The paper given to the Bulgarians by Qadhafi's son in London
(ref B),while containing many unacceptable provisions, was a
starting point for discussions, Kalfin said. At the same
time, Kalfin noted that it is important for the U.S., UK and
EU to "continue to make Qadhafi uncomfortable." He said the
he hoped the Council of Europe would issue a declaration
affirming the nurses innocence on November 2. A fourth
U.S./EU/Bulgaria trilat and a U.S./EU demarche in Tripoli
before November 15 would also be welcomed. Kalfin said that
a postponement of the November 15 court decision would be a
sign of Libya's seriousness.


5. (C) UK Ambassador Hill said the next step should be to
"approach Tripoli in the next 24 hours and ask for a date"
for the meeting between the U.S., UK, Bulgaria, and Libya.
Based on PM Blair's recent conversation with Qadhafi, Hill
said he was confident the Libyans would offer a date for the
talks "within three or four days." He expressed guarded
optimism, saying that "if we can engage them next week,
things may go quickly."


6. (C) Kalfin assured both Ambassadors of the government's
intention to crack down hard on organized crime in the wake
of the murder of controversial banker Emil Kyulev on October

26. He called the killing "a threat to the very basis of the
state." This echoed -- at least by implication -- Interior
Minister Petkov's assertion that Kyulev's killing was a
politically-motivated attack aimed at delaying Bulgaria's
accession into the EU and undermining the current government.
Beyrle said such talk was not helpful in the absence of any
supporting evidence, and Hill pointed out that Kyulev's past
was itself "doubtful."


7. (C) Kalfin asked specifically for U.S. support in four
areas:
-- Our assessment of forthcoming draft legislation aimed at
giving police and prosecutors more power to fight organized
crime.
-- Operational cooperation aimed at heroin trafficking
through Bulgaria.
-- Unspecified "special equipment" for criminal
investigations.
-- Increased cooperation and coordination between the
Bulgarian intelligence and law enforcement services and their
U.S. counterparts. "It is your choice which service you work
with," Kalfin said, "but we really need your help and
assistance."

Beyrle assured Kalfin that the U.S. stands ready to help
Bulgaria. Embassy Sofia's Legal Attache met subsequently
with the Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry to discuss
specifics.

8. (U) Tripoli minimize considered.


BEYRLE