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

id: 41745
date: 9/30/2005 15:34
refid: 05SOFIA1685
origin: Embassy Sofia
classification: SECRET
destination: 05SOFIA1618|05STATE181135
header:
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.



----------------- header ends ----------------

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 SOFIA 001685 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC KCRM BG
SUBJECT: BULGARIAN INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS HE WILL DISBAND 
ADVISORY COUNCIL 
 
REF: A. SOFIA 1618 
     ¶B. STATE 181135 (C-RE5-01170) 
 
Classified By: Amb. John Beyrle for reasons 1.4 (b) and (c). 
 
¶1. (S) SUMMARY: Interior Minister Rumen Petkov's appointment 
of a "Citizen's Advisory Council" consisting largely of 
retired Communist-era security officials has caused a 
domestic political uproar in Bulgaria that has forced the 
Socialist-led government into some quick backtracking. Petkov 
told Amb. Beyrle Sept. 30 that he will disband the council 
within two months, following passage of the security reform 
law in Parliament. Nonetheless, the very naming of such a 
retrograde group has only reinforced many Bulgarians' worst 
fears about the Socialists (BSP), and even BSP apologists 
agree the appointment of the Council was a tremendous 
public-relations blunder. Embassy will continue to press 
Petkov to make good on his pledge; on balance, we see the 
bulk of his appointments to operational positions in the 
Ministry as good for continued bilateral cooperation, 
especially on the counterterrorism front. END SUMMARY. 
 
 "Advisory Council": Forces From the Past 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (C) According to Petkov, the 13-member Council was 
designed as an outside body of former high-ranking Interior 
Ministry officials who could draw on their past experience to 
monitor and critique the work of the Ministry, particularly 
as restructuring legislation moves forward. The Council,s 
membership, however, is a collection of some of Bulgaria,s 
worst unreformed and retrograde figures from the communist 
era.  The panel includes a number of leading figures from the 
so-called Generals, Movement, a faction within BSP that was 
launched in 1998 as a counterweight to the reformist agenda 
of then party chairman Georgi Purvanov.  The Generals 
strongly opposed Purvanov,s efforts to move the party 
towards NATO membership, preferring instead to orient the 
country more towards Russia. Many members of the Movement 
have close ties with former KGB officials and questionable 
Russian businesses. Although the Generals, influence has 
waned in recent years, they are still a potent factor in the 
BSP, largely due to their economic ties, participation in 
party funding and access to valuable information from State 
Security and MOI archives.  (See full roster and bios at 
para. 8) 
 
¶3. (C) Amb. Beyrle met with Petkov Sept. 30 to convey growing 
concern in Washington about the council (ref B). Petkov 
reiterated his earlier assertion (ref A) that the council 
would have no operational role and no access to classified 
information.  Further, he added, the council will "cease to 
exist" in two months, following passage of the security 
reform law currently pending before Parliament.  Since the 
council had been created to help win support for the 
restructuring envisioned in the legislation, there will "be 
no need" for its continued existence after the law is passed, 
Petkov claimed. 
 
New Council Draws Fire 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) This rapid backpedaling is clearly a response to 
furious criticism of the council from Bulgaria's political 
opposition.   The two main center-right groups--the Union of 
Democratic Forces (UDF) and Democrats for Strong Bulgaria 
(DSB)--said the appointment of the Council jeopardized 
Bulgaria,s NATO membership and discredits the country in the 
eyes of its Western allies.  DSB chairman Ivan Kostov called 
the appointment of the Council a "shameful act of restoring 
the totalitarian past" and an "arrogant provocation against 
democracy."  The head of UDF Mihailova remarked that she had 
discussed the Council with the deputy heads of NATO in 
Brussels and emphasized the murky past of the Council members 
and their opposition to democratic reforms. 
 
¶5.  (C) Prime Minister Stanishev has defended Petkov's 
decision to create the council both in parliament and with 
the press.  At the same time, he has underscored the fact 
that the Council has no leadership or operational functions 
in the Ministry, and subsequently announced that he, and not 
a Deputy PM, will have direct oversight of the MOI (as well 
as the Defense and Finance Ministries).  President Purvanov, 
a close ally of Petkov's in the BSP, has made no comment 
about the Council.  Bulgaria's U.S. Ambassador Poptodorova, 
back in Sofia for consultations, told us that Petkov had 
surprised both Purvanov and Stanishev when he announced 
formation of the council, and that the BSP was scrambling to 
limit the fallout. Indeed, even Lyuben Gotsev himself 
publicly questioned whether the Council should have been 
formed without more thought and argued that, given the recent 
controversy, perhaps the Council should be transformed into a 
true citizen,s advisory panel, including sociologists and 
writers. 
Currying Favor with the Generals 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Petkov,s motivations for establishing the Council 
and choosing its particular members may in part be rooted in 
his desire to stay in the good graces of the Generals 
Movement.  Tatyana Doncheva, a prominent BSP MP and the 
Socialists, candidate for the Sofia mayor's race, told us 
that by creating the Council Petkov was aiming to preserve 
the internal party balance in BSP after the Generals failed 
to install their own candidate in the Interior Minister's 
post. Although Petkov enjoys warm ties with some of the 
Generals, he is not part of their faction and is closer to 
the reformist wing, which includes Purvanov and Stanishev. 
According to Doncheva, Petkov initiated the Council to secure 
support for re-election as deputy chairman at the upcoming 
BSP congress. Doncheva, who is no fan of Petkov, said she did 
not believe Petkov would give any real powers to the Council, 
but mostly sought to soothe the wounded pride of its leaders 
so they do not cause him trouble during his term as minister 
or initiate actions for his removal from the BSP deputy 
leader's post. 
 
COMMENT 
-------- 
 
¶7.  (S) Whatever Petkov intended by setting up the Council, 
the controversy he sparked demonstrates the high level of 
wariness toward the old-guard faction that clearly still 
retains some influence within the BSP.  We will continue to 
press the Stanishev government to see that Petkov carries 
through with his stated intention to disband this group. 
Overall, personnel decisions he has made on the operational 
side, in particular at the head of the main security service, 
augur well for continued close cooperation on the 
counter-terrorism front.  Nonetheless, our ultimate 
assessment of Petkov's performance will be based on the 
results he shows in reducing the level of corruption and 
criminality in Bulgaria, that he himself has told us is his 
highest priority. END COMMENT. 
 
¶8. (U) Members of the MOI Advisory Council: 
 
Lybuen Gotsev: A graduate of Moscow's Foreign Relations 
Institute, Gotsev worked for the First Directorate of State 
Security from 1961 to 1990. During that time, he served in 
Western Europe, Canada and the US.  From 1974 to 1982 he was 
the Deputy Chief of the First Directorate and later became 
Deputy Foreign Minister under Todor Zhivkov,s regime 
(1982-1989). He served as Deputy Interior Minister in the 
Socialist Lukanov cabinet (1989-1990). In 1996 Gotsev joined 
the Board of Directors of Yukos Petroleum, later named Nafex. 
 He founded Generals, Movement in BSP in January 1998. 
 
Brigo Asparuhov: A former officer of the First Directorate of 
State Security, Asparuhov later became the Head of National 
Intelligence Service (NIS) from 1991-1997. He joined BSP 
after being fired from NIS.  Asparuhov was elected to 
parliament as a BSP deputy (2001-2005).  His nomination to 
the post of national security advisor under former Prime 
Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg was reversed after protests from 
a number of NATO member states, led by the U.S. He is a 
founding member of the General,s Movement. 
 
Todor Boyadzheiv: Boyadzheiv held a number of positions in 
the communist State Security service, the last of which was 
Deputy Chief of First Directorate of State Security. He 
served as Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry from 
1991-1992. He is a founding member of the Generals' Movement. 
 Boyadzheiv was elected to parliament as a BSP deputy 
(2001-2005). 
 
Ginyo Ganev: Ganev, is a prominent lawyer and son-in-law of 
Kimon Georgiev, Bulgaria's first prime minister after the 
communist takeover in 1944. He served as Chairman of the 
Communist party-linked Fatherland Front until the 
organization was disbanded in 1990. He was Chairman of the 
Citizens Advisory Panel of Multigroup, one of the biggest 
organized crime groups in Bulgaria.  Ganev was twice elected 
to parliament as a BSP deputy (1997-2005). 
 
Bogomil Bonev: A former police chief of Sofia, Bonev served 
as Interior Minister in the Sofianski and Kostov governments. 
He was fired by Kostov in 1999 as part a cabinet reshuffled 
following allegations of corruption. He is reported to have 
ties to the shady businessman Michael Chorny.  Bonev launched 
the Civic Party in 2000, which failed to get into parliament. 
 He was equally unsuccessful in his bid to become President 
in the 2001 elections. 
Lyudmil Marinchevski: Marinchevski worked in the Interior 
Ministry from 1966 to 1991. He was Chief Secretary of the 
Interior Ministry and late Deputy Interior Minister in 
Lukanov governments.  His name has appeared on a list of 
known State Security agents. 
 
Georgi Lambov: Lambov was fired as Head of the Unit for 
Combating Drug Trafficking in the Central Service for 
Combating Organized Crime for unauthorized contacts with 
suspected organized crime groups; he has served there from 
1989 to 1992.  He served as Chief Secretary of Interior 
Ministry Chief in Videnov government (1995-1997). 
 
Kosta Bogatsevski: Bogatsevski, who currently works as a 
lawyer, served as an investigating magistrate in the Interior 
Ministry's Chief Investigation Service and later became 
Deputy Chief of the National Investigation Service 
(1991-1993).  He served as Chief Secretary of the Interior 
Ministry under the Berov government (1993-1994). 
 
Rumen Stoilov: Stoilov served as Interior Ministry Secretary 
under the Berov government (1993-1994) and also as Deputy 
Interior Minster in Simeon Saxe-Coburg,s cabinet 
(2001-2005). 
 
Goran Simeonov: Simeonov is a former officer of First 
Directorate. He is the current Chairman of the Association of 
Retired Intelligence Officers, which has ties with Russia,s 
organization of retired intelligence officers.  Simeonov runs 
a number of private businesses (ARIMEX, Hristov & Co., 
partner in EART). 
 
Pavel Nikolov: A former officer of Second Directorate for 
State Security (counterintelligence), Nikolov served as 
Director of the National Security Service under the Videnov 
government (1995-1997). He is Chairman of the Association of 
Retired Counterintelligence Officers. 
 
Chavdar Chervenkov: A former employee of the Intelligence 
Department of the Army Chief of Staff, Chervenkov became 
Deputy Chief of the Army Chief of Staff and later head of 
Military Intelligence Service. He was Minister of Interior in 
the interim government of Renata Indzhova (1994-1995). 
 
Pencho Penev: Penev is a former Minister of Interior and 
Constitutional Court judge. He now heads the National 
Institute of Justice, which trains young judges, prosecutors 
and investigators. 
BEYRLE