This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 SOFIA 002025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV MARR PINR SOCI BU RU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA'S "ATAKA" PARTY BECOMING INCREASINGLY ANTI- 
AMERICAN 
 
REFS: (A) SOFIA 1134, (B) SOFIA 1239 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  The rhetoric of the extreme nationalist 
party Ataka has become increasingly anti-American in recent 
weeks, with much of the party's wrath focused on proposed 
joint military facilities and Bulgaria's participation in 
the Iraq coalition.  Neither high-profile infighting in 
Ataka's parliamentary group nor persistent speculation about 
its imminent split have eroded support for the party, which 
won nearly nine percent of the vote last June within weeks 
of its founding.  The recently-launched "Ataka" daily 
provides a larger platform for its extremist views.  Its 
slick format, professional editing and provocative anti- 
American headlines have caused circulation to surge to the 
level of some of the smaller mainstream dailies, but have 
also raised questions about the sources of Ataka's funding. 
The party maintains close public links with the Russian 
embassy.  Although Ataka's noisy nationalism has not had 
significant political impact to date, its hardline stance on 
issues such as Bulgaria's presence in Iraq and joint 
military bases puts pressure on the Socialist, whose core 
electorate often shares similar views on foreign policy. 
END SUMMARY 
 
ATAKA SHAKEN BY INFIGHTING, DEFECTIONS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Ataka, which rose to prominence on the eve of the 
June general elections, campaigned under the slogan "Let's 
Give Bulgaria back to Bulgarians." It won the backing of 
300,000 people in what was widely perceived as a protest 
vote,   becoming the fourth-largest party in parliament and 
the largest opposition group (Ref. A, B).  But less then a 
month after its surprise entry into politics Ataka was hit 
by infighting and defections, which eroded the number of its 
MPs from 21 to 17.  Wrangling among Ataka founders spilled 
into the local media as MPs rebelled against the autocratic 
behavior of their leader, Volen Siderov (Ref. B), and 
accused him of pocketing a state subsidy of 50,000 levs 
($30,300). 
 
¶3. (U) As early as August, two of the main groups within 
Ataka -- the "Union of Patriotic Forces and Reserve 
Officers" and leftist "Zora Political Circle" (Ref. B) - 
openly distanced themselves from Ataka, saying Siderov's 
xenophobic and overtly racist views distorted the party's 
"true patriotic values."  The young activists from the ultra 
nationalist Bulgarian National Union (BNU), which formed the 
core of Ataka's noisy rallies, have also been unhappy lately 
with Ataka, though for quite a different reason.  They say 
Siderov has become part of the political status quo and has 
"privatized" the party. 
 
ATAKA IN PARLIAMENT - MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ataka is undoubtedly the loudest group in 
parliament, but its initiatives have failed to gain 
legislative traction.  Its proposals for immediate 
withdrawal of Bulgaria's contingent from Iraq and a ban on 
state-television broadcasts of Turkish-language news were 
rejected by overwhelming majorities.  MPs also declined to 
debate Siderov's proposal for a resolution against "the U.S. 
Ambassador's unacceptable interference in Bulgaria's 
domestic affairs."  Ataka's proposal for a parliamentary 
declaration against a U.S. military presence in Bulgaria was 
voted down by MPs as well. Furthermore, Siderov's rabid 
outbursts in parliament -- in which, for example, he 
referred to other MPs as "squealing pigs" and called 
President Georgi Purvanov "a miserable traitor" -- have 
caused some of his own MPs to distance themselves from their 
leader  As recently as December 7, Siderov was expelled from 
the plenary hall for asserting in a derogatory manner that 
one of the deputy speakers of parliament (former Prime 
Minister and Ambassador to the U.S., Philip Dimitrov) was 
homosexual and a U.S. agent. 
 
ATAKA'S POPULARITY REMAINS STABLE 
 
¶5. (U) Speculation about Ataka's imminent demise are, 
unfortunately, premature.  Neither scandals within its group 
nor its futile actions in parliament have eroded its core 
support.  Opinion polls show support for Ataka has remained 
stable over the past several months, and some recent polls 
rank Ataka as the country's third-largest political force, 
ahead of the predominantly ethnic Turkish Movement for 
Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and all three parties on the 
fragmented center-right.  A poll by the National Center for 
Public Opinion Research from late November showed that if 
general elections were held now, 24.4 percent of all voters 
would support the ruling Socialists, 8.2 percent would vote 
for ex-PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg's National Movement for Simeon 
II and 7.4 percent would back Ataka. 
¶6. (SBU) Some 43 percent of those polled said they would not 
vote--not surprisingly, since the last elections were in 
June.  A November survey by the reputable Alpha Research 
agency put support for Ataka at 6.5 percent, closely 
following the MRF's 6.7 percent.  The party continues to 
draw support from people discontented with the mainstream 
parties and from those who have suffered from the post- 
communist transition to a market economy.  It successfully 
exploits negative feelings among ethnic Bulgarians toward 
the Roma minority and growing discontent with the political 
influence of the ethnic Turkish MRF, which is widely 
perceived as corrupt.  Ataka's electorate also includes 
leftist hardliners displeased with BSP's reformist course, 
as well as disenchanted rightists; it attracts people from 
all ages and social strata (Ref. B). 
 
ATAKA DAILY: ANTI-AMERICANISM ON THE FRONT PAGES 
 
¶7. (SBU) Ataka gained another platform for its extremist 
views by launching in mid-October a newspaper with the same 
name, which serves as the party's mouthpiece.  The 20-page 
daily, whose editor-in-chief is Siderov's longtime domestic 
partner, journalist Kapka Georgieva, carries news reports on 
domestic and international politics, business, the economy, 
and sports, as well as analytical and investigative 
articles.  Its competitive price, slick format, professional 
editing, and provocative headlines have caused circulation 
to surge to the level of some of the smaller mainstream 
dailies.  Siderov uses a daily commentary column to promote 
his overtly racist and xenophobic views, and constantly 
reminds his readers of "the mercenaries and lackeys" in the 
incumbent government who have "willingly surrendered the 
country's sovereignty to serve the West." 
 
¶8. (SBU) The rabidly anti- American Siderov has not missed 
an opportunity to blame the U.S. and its allies for the 
plight of Bulgarians "who are victims of a Western 
conspiracy against their small Slav Orthodox nation."  He is 
currently using the pages of "Ataka" daily for a campaign 
against joint military bases in Bulgaria, collecting 
signatures for holding a referendum on the issue.  "U.S. spy 
Robert Loftis, who is getting more and more impudent, 
requested the establishment of U.S. bases without paying a 
penny for them," Siderov wrote in a recent commentary.  He 
warned that the shared bases would turn the country into a 
terrorist target and might be used as U.S. nuclear bases. 
"The Americans will be allowed to pollute the bases like a 
bunch of pigs and transform them into drug trafficking 
centers," Siderov concluded.  On December 8, he accused MPs 
of passing laws, "according to which we . . . follow foreign 
orders, send troops wherever Washington tells us to, and 
give all possible bases to the American assassins of 
children and women." 
 
¶9. (SBU)  A day later, Siderov appeared on the front page of 
"Ataka" with Russian Ambassador Anatoly Potapov.  In an 
accompanying article headlined "Russia Will React to U.S. 
Basing," the paper says that Ataka MPs met with Russian 
embassy leadership at the invitation of Potapov. The meeting 
was a result of "the Russian mission's interest in the 
breakthrough of Bulgaria's newest parliamentary party and 
its leader."  Russian diplomats reportedly noted the fact 
that "Ataka is the only party in Bulgaria's parliament that 
envisaged new policies with regard to relations with 
Russia."  The proposed U.S. military presence was among the 
key issues raised by Siderov at the meeting   Potapov is 
quoted as responding that "Bulgaria is free to make 
independent decisions but, of course, Russia was not happy 
about the deployment of bases near its territory." The 
Russian defense attache reportedly went on to say that the 
U.S. presence "would disturb the balance and violate the 
agreements on Conventional Forces in Europe and could lead 
to a revision of these agreements."  Ambassador Potapov 
concluded the meeting by "wishing Ataka a success in its 
patriotic activity and in protecting the Orthodox religion." 
 
¶10. (SBU) COMMENT: Six months after the June vote, initial 
forecasts that Ataka would fade from prominence as quickly 
as its rose have turned out to be incorrect.  Despite all 
the negative publicity that accompanies Ataka's infighting 
and defections, the extreme nationalist group continues to 
enjoy stable support from all age groups and social strata 
across the political spectrum.  Ataka fills an electoral 
niche for a group that is perceived as an alternative to the 
mainstream parties, talks in plain language and offers easy 
solutions to painful economic and social problems.  Even if 
forecasts for Ataka's potential disintegration come true, 
its electorate will remain in place and could back any hard- 
line movement that emerges to replace it.  In the meantime, 
questions remain about Ataka's sources of funding, with 
speculation ranging from organized crime groups to former 
members of the communist-era security services to third 
countries.  The ruling Socialists, for their part, are 
reluctant to confront Ataka directly because the party's 
positions on issues such as joint bases and Iraq often 
reflect the views of the BSP's core electorate of elderly 
communists.  The Embassy maintains a no-contact policy with 
Siderov and other Ataka representatives, and have encouraged 
Bulgarian leaders to speak out against the party's 
xenophobic message.  Believing that direct Embassy 
confrontation with Ataka will amplify their message, we have 
concentrated on correcting their misinformation and 
encouraging others to question their financial backers. END 
COMMENT 
 
BEYRLE