BULGARIA CONDEMNS AL-ASKARIYA SHRINE BOMBING

UNCLAS SOFIA 000292 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER KDEM KPAO PREL PGOV IZ BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA CONDEMNS AL-ASKARIYA SHRINE BOMBING REF: STATE 28802 ¶1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Venelin Lazarov, Head of the MFA's Near East and North Africa Section, on February 24. The MFA issued an official statement February 24 condemning the Al-Askariya bombing and calling on Iraqis to exercise restraint. ¶2. (U) Embassy Sofia's unofficial translation of the MFA's statement follows: "MFA Statement on Violence in Iraq February 24, 2006 The Republic of Bulgaria expresses its concern over the continuing acts of violence in Iraq, as well as the attacks carried out against the religious symbols in that country. We condemn the bomb attack, which took place on February 22nd, on the Askariya Mosque in Samarra--one of the holiest Shiite temples and part of the cultural and historical legacy of the Iraqi state. Such terrorist acts are intolerable. Their only goal is to fan tensions between the religious communities in the country and to drag it into civil war. We call upon all groups in Iraqi society to demonstrate self-control and to respect the law which will allow the Iraqi state to accomplish the building and strengthening of its democratic institutions." Beyrle