BULGARIA: OSCE HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING DEMARCHE

UNCLAS SOFIA 000430 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FOR EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: BU KDEM OSCE PHUM PREL SUBJECT: BULGARIA: OSCE HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING DEMARCHE REF: 78227 ¶1. (SBU) Post delivered REFTEL points to Rakovski Lashev, Head of Human Rights Unit at the MFA concerning the September 28 to October 9 OSCE Human Dimension Meeting to be held in Warsaw, Poland. Due to the recent change of government, Lashev was unable to confirm who would head the Bulgarian delegation. After hearing the USG concerns about human rights and democratic performance in Bulgaria, Lashev noted that the new government shares the same concerns and has made these areas a priority. Specifically in response to USG concerns over vote buying and voter manipulation in the recent elections, Lashev pointed out that several people have been successfully prosecuted for these activities. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: On vote fraud, Lashev is apparently trying to put the best face on a bad situation. The number of prosecutions is minimal compared to the scale of fraud. End Comment. SUTTON