US embassy cable - 05SOFIA1741

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 001741 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, MARR, MOPS, EINV, OVIP, IZ, LY, BG, High Level Meetings 
SUBJECT: BULGARIAN PRESIDENT'S AGENDA FOR OCTOBER 17 WHITE 
HOUSE MEETING 
 
REF: A. FREDEN - WILSON/BRANDON E-MAIL 11 OCT 05 
 
     B. SOFIA 1719 
     C. SOFIA 1730 
 
Classified By: DCM Jeff Levine, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY.  Ambassador Beyrle met the evening of October 
10 with President Purvanov at the President's request to 
discuss Purvanov's upcoming visit to Washington.  Purvanov 
provided a non paper outlining "key points" for his meeting 
with President Bush (ref A and para 4 below). He confirmed 
that Bulgarian troops would not begin their pullout from Iraq 
until after the December Iraqi elections, and said the 
government would announce its decision on a follow-on mission 
before Purvanov leaves for Washington.  Purvanov said the 
government is considering donating some of the Bulgarian 
battalion's equipment to the Iraqi security forces, but that 
the army has not been very forthcoming  He responded very 
positively to the Ambassador's suggestion that he add 
democracy promotion to his Washington agenda, saying that 
Bulgaria could use its experience to play an important role 
in the Balkans, Black Sea region and the Middle East.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C)  On Iraq, Beyrle said it was important for the two 
Presidents to be able to highlight Bulgaria's continued 
participation.  On the "basing" issue, Purvanov was 
optimistic about the near-term prospects for an agreement on 
joint U.S.-Bulgarian military facilities.  He said he had 
pushed the government to focus less on compensation and other 
"material" issues and more on the strategic relationship. 
Bulgaria's only red line is the constitution, he added, 
saying it was important for legal experts to reach an 
agreement that expresses the political will of both sides to 
move forward.  Purvanov also said he would meet with editors 
of Bulgarian news media to urge more responsible coverage of 
the issue.  In a subsequent meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister 
Todor Churov told the DCM that FM Kalfin would ask the 
Secretary to take a "more flexible" approach in the base 
 
SIPDIS 
negotiations, taking into account Bulgaria's desire for a 
more comprehensive agreement on security cooperation and 
addressing Bulgarian concerns about sovereignty and legal 
jurisdiction. 
 
3. (C) Purvanov asked for the President's support for 
Bulgaria's EU membership on January 1, 2007, and for the 
President's "personal" commitment to helping Bulgaria gain 
the release of the five nurses unjustly imprisoned and 
sentenced to death in Libya for allegedly spreading the HIV 
virus.  Deputy Foreign Minister Gergana Grancharova told us 
October 12 that any positive statement by President Bush on 
Bulgaria's EU membership or the nurses would play extremely 
well in the Bulgarian press, as will any reference to a 
"strategic partnership" between Bulgaria and the U.S. 
 
4. (SBU) Text of Purvanov's non paper follows: 
 
Bulgaria will remain a reliable, predictable and loyal ally 
in the fight against world terror and in the spread of the 
values of democracy. 
 
Bulgaria will continue to participate in the stabilization 
and restoration of Iraq and will have its commitments to the 
coalition beyond 01.01.2006. 
 
Bulgaria remains in Afghanistan and is making serious 
preparations for the protection of the Kabul International 
Airport in the second half of 2006. 
 
Bulgaria will accept US military installations on its 
territory. The political will for this was expressed in a 
position of the National Security Consultative Council and in 
a Declaration of the National Assembly. Negotiations of the 
specific terms are underway between the two governments and 
are to be finalized in the nearest future. 
 
The new government - a coalition that is unique for the 
Bulgarian transition period - has declared firmly continuity 
in pursuing the main strategic foreign policy goals and 
democratic values. Bulgaria continues to be a politically and 
economically stable ally in this region of Europe. 
 
Bulgaria, as well as the USA, has a great stake in 
guaranteeing regular supplies of energy at normal prices. The 
country's geographic and geostrategic location makes it an 
important factor in guaranteeing the security and the transit 
of supplies. This is why we have a keen interest in having 
the planned oil and gas pipelines running through our 
territory. We are also interested to develop our national 
nuclear energy production. There is an untapped potential for 
active involvement of American business in the modernization 
and development of the infrastructure of South East Europe. 
 
Bulgaria has succeeded in building its unique ethnic and 
political model, which is a guarantee against the spread of 
radical Islam. By its stable and democratic development, 
Bulgaria will guarantee the protection of this model and its 
promotion in other neighboring countries. Along with its 
involvement in NATO military missions, Bulgaria will continue 
to generate security and promote good neighborly relations in 
the region. 
 
In order to lock in the positive trends in the country, we 
need to achieve membership in the EU in the agreed terms, 
that is, 01.01.2007. We count on the US for their relevant 
support. As a EU member Bulgaria will be even better placed 
to act as a stabilizing factor for security and democracy 
throughout the region. Bulgaria will fulfill strictly the EU 
requirements, but we hope that our accession will not be 
postponed due to internal EU problems. 
 
Bulgaria is a good place to do business. Political, financial 
and economic stability, and the ever-improving investment 
climate, are all reasons to expect a sharp rise in the 
investment and economic activity of US companies here. It is 
a good time for the excellent political relations and 
strategic partnership of the two countries to open the way 
for American business in Bulgaria. 
 
Bulgaria lies on the border zone with conflict regions and 
its role in the Euro-Atlantic security structures is growing. 
The tasks of safeguarding the borders of the Alliance, 
guaranteeing freedom of movement and security call for a new 
quality of the systems for their solution. Bulgaria needs 
more active support from the USA for modernizing its armed 
forces. We would like to be involved in a more active and 
full-fledged manner in the current American programs to this 
effect and to accede to existing programs where we have no 
access yet. There is an untapped potential for cooperation in 
the military industrial complex and auxiliary industries. 
 
Bulgaria appreciates the US assistance in the case of the 
Bulgarian medics in Libya. This is a problem of vital 
political significance for Bulgaria and we expect the 
American side to continue its pressure on Libya for the 
earliest possible conclusion in a fair and satisfactory 
manner, and for the defendants to be released. 
 
BEYRLE