BULGARIA'S G8 CTAG MEETING: POLITICS OVERSHADOWS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 000537

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

S/CT FOR SANDAGE/ROSAND, EUR/NCE FOR BRANDON/SILKWORTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/18/2011
TAGS: PGOV PTER RS BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA'S G8 CTAG MEETING: POLITICS OVERSHADOWS
COUNTER-TERRORISM

REF: A. STATE 58471


B. 05 SOFIA 2025

C. 05 SOFIA 1729

Classified By: Ambassador John Beyrle, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On 13 April, A/DCM attended a local meeting
of the G8 Counter-Terrorism Action Group and delivered reftel
A talking points. The meeting was chaired by Russian
Ambassador Anatoly Potapov and was attended by diplomatic
representatives of all G8 member nations except Canada, which
does not have a diplomatic mission in Sofia. The Bulgarian
government was represented by General Ivan Chobanov, Director
of the National Security Service (NSS) of the Minister of
Interior. The NSS has primary responsibility for domestic
counter-terrorism as well as counter-intelligence.
Cooperation on countering terrorism and extremist ideology
dominated the formal agenda, but we doubt the ability of the
Russian Embassy here to lead the CTAG to any meaningful
engagement on this issue. END SUMMARY.

Russian Ambassador Takes a Swipe
--------------


2. (C) Potapov, who has publicly criticized proposals to
station U.S. forces in Bulgaria (reftel B) stressed in his
opening remarks that the threat of terrorist actions against
Bulgaria had to be evaluated in light of three "special
considerations:" Bulgaria's follow-on mission in Iraq, its
military participation in Afghanistan, and plans for
U.S.-Bulgarian joint bases.


3. (C) Potapov outlined a Russian agenda for international
CT cooperation that was squarely at odds with the U.S.
position as spelled out in ref. A. He emphasized the
centrality of intelligence and law enforcement cooperation to
the fight against terrorism and terrorist ideology, and
stated that if international law on the subject was not
sufficiently strict to crack down on terrorism, "it needs to
be changed, not sidetracked." Potapov dismissed non-law
enforcement based approaches to combating terrorism, saying
that a "dual approach" to the problem based on history,
special relationships, or national legal systems would only
lead to a "double standard" that would create opportunities
for terrorists.


4. (C) In a remark that may be more indicative of the
Russian government's thinking than reality on the ground,
Potapov said that terrorists might attempt to strike Bulgaria
because of its status as a regional "energy hub." (COMMENT:
Many ambitious projects have been proposed in the energy
sector, but Bulgaria currently has no international oil
pipelines and its status as a net electricity exporter is
endangered by the EU-mandated shutdown of older units at the
Kozlodui nuclear power plant. While Russian gas is
transported through Bulgaria to Macedonia, Turkey, and
Greece, it was unclear from Potapov's statements what value
this infrastructure might have as a terrorist target. END
COMMENT.)

Bulgarian CT Boss Disavows ATAKA, Talks Extremism
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Chobanov sat next to Potapov, and chatted with him
amiably throughout the meeting. The NSS chief praised the
NSS's cooperation with Russia in particular, stating that on
the issue of terrorism, all of Bulgaria's European partners
have an "identical view." The meeting's Russian hosts
appeared surprised, however, at Chobanov's response to a
question from the Italian representative on the connection
between nationalist extremism and religious extremism.
Chobanov took the opportunity to launch into a lengthy
critique of the notorious nationalist party ATAKA, whose
leadership was hosted by Potapov in a press event at the
Russian Embassy, and which is widely believed to receive
financial support from Russian-linked OC groups (reftel B).
In Chobanov's words, ATAKA and other nationalist groups "do a
disservice" to Bulgaria by dividing the nation along ethnic
and religious lines, creating opportunities for Islamic
extremism and ethnic conflict.


6. (S) Chobanov spoke extensively on the NSS's view of
Islamic extremism in Bulgaria. His readout largely

SOFIA 00000537 002 OF 002


corresponded with post's understanding of the situation,
based on information gathered from NSS liaison and other
sources (reftel C). Compared with information previously
shared with us by the NSS, Chobanov's presentation had a
noticeable positive spin, possibly due a desire to present
the government as in control of the situation, or the GOB's
limited willingness to share sensitive information with other
G8 members.


7. (S) Chobanov stated that only three foreign Islamic
foundations are active in Bulgaria -- Taiba, Neduwa, and
al-Wakf al-Islami -- and that they are "controlled" by the
Religious Confessions Directorate and the Muftiship. NSS
information shared through other channels has indicated that
other foreign groups are active in the country, and that
neither the Religious Confessions Directorate nor the
Muftiship are equipped to effectively monitor, let alone
control, the activities of these foundations. Chobanov also
made the questionable assertion that exactly 28 Bulgarian
Muslims have returned from study abroad in the Middle East
and North Africa. (Contacts in academia and the Muslim
community tell us this number is more likely in the hundreds.)


8. (C) Chobanov also gave a short overview of the GOB's
efforts to counter the threat of terrorism and religious
extremism, giving particular emphasis to the 1997 expulsion
of Arab Muslim Brotherhood activists and the case of Toni
Radev Milenov, the Bulgarian citizen implicated in the 3/11
bombings in Madrid. Noting Bulgaria's lack of success in
tackling extremism in the courts, he stated the GOB's view
that relying solely on "instruments of power" is not
effective, and that "the best defense against extremist Islam
is moderate Islam."


9. (C) COMMENT: Sofia's CTAG meeting yielded a lot of
discussion, but little in the way of concrete suggestions for
further action on, e.g., outreach to Bulgaria's
overwhelmingly moderate Muslims. We believe that the
Bulgarian government realizes the extent of the challenges
facing its Muslim communities, but likely decided that a
Russian-hosted forum was not the ideal place to brainstorm
strategies and tactics -- especially given the Russian
Embassy's support for ATAKA. For this reason -- and given
Potapov's gratuitous swipe at U.S. basing arrangements as an
incitement to terrorism in Bulgaria -- we will not look to
the Sofia CTAG under the Russian chair as a source of
leadership on this issue, which we will continue to engage on
bilaterally with the Bulgarians. END COMMENT.


Beyrle