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