Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SOFIA1075
2007-09-05 15:40:00
SECRET
Embassy Sofia
Cable title:  

(S) BULGARIA ANXIOUS TO OPEN EMBASSY IN IRAQ, BUT

Tags:  PREL PGOV BU IZ 
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DE RUEHSF #1075/01 2481540
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S E C R E T SOFIA 001075 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV BU IZ
SUBJECT: (S) BULGARIA ANXIOUS TO OPEN EMBASSY IN IRAQ, BUT
SECURITY IS PARAMOUNT


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission, Alex Karagiannis
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

S E C R E T SOFIA 001075

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV BU IZ
SUBJECT: (S) BULGARIA ANXIOUS TO OPEN EMBASSY IN IRAQ, BUT
SECURITY IS PARAMOUNT


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission, Alex Karagiannis
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (S) Summary: MFA Director Petko Doykov and Valery
Rachev, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Iraq, stressed that
Bulgaria is eager to open an embassy in Baghdad, but remains
unable to reach agreement with the Iraqi government on a
suitable location. They expressed frustration with the Iraqi
bureaucratic process, and hoped that the U.S. government
might be able to assist in resolving the problem. The
Bulgarians are flexible on the size and location of a future
facility in Baghdad, so long as it is a secure, defendable
location inside the International Zone with space for around
three staff members and housing for the Ambassador. Director
Doykov mentioned the Bulgarian interest in opening a
consulate facility of some type in Erbil, as well, but said
they could only consider such a move after reaching a viable
solution in Baghdad. End Summary.


2. (S) In a September 5, 2007 meeting, Middle East and
Africa Director Petko Doykov and Valery Rachev, the Bulgarian
Ambassador to Iraq (currently working from Sofia) both
stressed that Bulgaria is anxious to open an embassy in
Baghdad. They explained that the government of Bulgaria owns
a large compound in the Mansour district, outside the
International Zone, but this property was thoroughly looted
and sustained significant damage. This facility remains the
Bulgarian government,s long-term plan for an embassy
location, but in the short-term it is unusable since it is
located in a very dangerous area and would require extensive
renovation. For the short to medium-term, Bulgaria is
seeking a small, defendable facility inside of the
International Zone, with enough space for, at most, three to
five officers and housing for the Ambassador.


3. (S) The Bulgarians stressed that security was paramount,
since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would never allow the
Ambassador to take up his post if there were doubts about the
security of the facility. Ideally, the location would be
separated from any major streets and would have a single,
controllable point of access. The less renovation work

required the better, since a renovation could significantly
delay the process of getting the Ambassador into the country.
But in terms of size and location, the Bulgarians are very
flexible, saying they would be willing to adapt to the
location available. Director Doykov and Ambassador Rachev
said they are hoping to have a location settled and ready for
operation by no later than December 2007 or January 2008, but
they stressed that they would much rather wait for a
suitable, secure facility than rush into an untenable
situation.


4. (S) Ambassador Rachev explained that his first choice
would be to move into the site that he had identified earlier
this year, with the assistance of the U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad. It was a 3200 square meter facility, located, he
said, in "District 232, with coordinates 127.1". According
to the Ambassador Rachev, this site was initially approved
for Bulgaria, but was then "reassigned" by the Iraqi
government without explanation. He is under the impression
that this location is no longer an option, but if it were
somehow still available, it would be his top choice.
(Comment: Though Rachev did not say it openly, the Bulgarians
are still smarting over how this property was pulled from
them.)


5. (S) The Iraqi Ambassador to Bulgaria presented a new
option in a letter to the Bulgarians on June 28. According
to the letter, the Council of Ministers approved a plot with
the registration number 75/38 and located in "the urban area
of Karadat Mariam in Baghdad". The letter says that this
property is currently occupied and its ownership is under
dispute. Additionally, according to the letter, the property
would only be available to the Bulgarians for a maximum of
six months, after which time the Commission for Resolution of
Real Property Disputes (CRRPD) would have to approve any
further use of the land. In light of these facts, the
Bulgarians are not optimistic that this site would be
suitable, and in fact, they have not been able to learn from
their Iraqi counterparts, the exact location of this
property, nor even the location of the "Kardat Mariam"
neighborhood. Rachev,s opinion is that this option was
presented to them as a goodwill gesture by the Iraqi
Ambassador to Bulgaria, through his family connections.
Rachev is suspicious of this option since he is not convinced
that it has been cleared through appropriate channels in the
Iraqi government.


6. (S) Petkov was very interested in U.S. opinions on the
Kurdish regions in the North of Iraq, and mentioned that the
Bulgarian Foreign Ministry had received overtures from
Kurdish delegations on issues such as tourism and trade. He
mentioned that Bulgaria had interest in initiating some form
of diplomatic representation in Erbil, but said they could
only consider such a move after reaching a viable solution
for an embassy in Baghdad.


7. (S) Rachev noted that 2008 is the fiftieth anniversary of
diplomatic relations between Iraq and Bulgaria and suggested
that this could be used as a platform to step up political,
economic and cultural programs between the two countries.
The lack of a suitable embassy facility, remained a
significant obstacle to this, he explained. In closing, he
praised U.S. support for his past efforts to find a suitable
location for a new embassy, but expressed exasperation with
the Iraqi bureaucratic process. Any additional support or
direction the United States could provide in this regard, he
said, would be critical to reaching a final solution.


8. (C) Comment: The government is sustaining its commitment
in Iraq despite 70% popular opposition to deployments there.
Helping Bulgaria get a secure facility in the I.Z. would be a
major, and much appreciated, boost as it stands firm with us.


Beyrle