US embassy cable - 05SOFIA616

C O N F I D E N T I A L SOFIA 000616 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MOPS, PGOV, IZ, BU 
SUBJECT: BULGARIA: GOVERNMENT SENDS IRAQ EXIT STRATEGY TO 
PARLIAMENT 
 
REF: A) SOFIA 604 B) SOFIA 524 C) SOFIA 436 D) SOFIA 
     486 E) SOFIA 67 F) 04 SOFIA 2261 G) 04 
     SOFIA 2054 (NOTAL) H) IIR 6 811 0105 05 I) 
     IIR 6 811 0090 05 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James Pardew, reasons, 1.4(B) and (D). 
 
1. (SBU)  SUMMARY: The Bulgarian Council of Ministers (CM) 
approved and sent to Parliament on March 31 a proposal to set 
31 December 2005 as the deadline for the end of Bulgaria's 
military participation in the Multi-National Force in Iraq 
(MNF-I). The CM also asked Parliament to reduce the country's 
current 500 troop mandate to 400 troops. The GOB tried to 
balance this decision by requesting a mandate to consult with 
Coalition Partners on "more suitable forms" for Bulgaria to 
continue its participation in international initiatives 
supporting security and stability in Iraq. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) Trying to put the best face on the government's 
action, spokesman Dimitar Tsonev said the draft decision 
should not be interpreted as a move by Bulgaria to leave the 
Coalition in Iraq.  He added that Bulgaria would "continue to 
help in Iraq through other means as it searches for other 
suitable forms of participation."  Tsonev did not rule out 
the possibility for Bulgaria to send a different military 
unit to Iraq after 2005, perhaps under the auspices of the 
NATO training mission.  The GOB,s proposal on Iraq will most 
likely be discussed in the Foreign Policy, Defense and 
Security Committee on April 7 in a closed meeting and then is 
expected to be voted on by the full Parliament in mid-April. 
 
3. (C) COMMENT: The announced troop reduction is primarily a 
political gesture to the Bulgarian electorate. In fact, the 
reduction has been planned for several months, since some 
Bulgarian logistics troops are no longer needed at Camp 
Al-Diwaniyah.  The GOB's position on withdrawing from Iraq 
will likely trigger an intense partisan debate before it is 
approved by the Parliament in coming weeks, not because the 
proposal is particularly controversial in Bulgaria, but 
because opposition parties will use it as an opportunity to 
grandstand. With polls showing over sixty percent of 
Bulgarians against the country's involvement in Iraq and the 
opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party campaigning for an 
immediate pullout, the government is seeking with this 
decision to neutralize Iraq as a campaign issue before the 
coming June elections.