Entry position of the Republic of Bulgaria as a party in the anti-terrorist coalition.

 

 

On 8^th of October 2001 the Republic of Bulgaria was elected as a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council for the period January 2002 – December 2003. While participating in the Security Council work the Republic of Bulgaria will uphold the European values and will, as the sole representative of the East European Group of States.

The Parliament and Government of the Republic of Bulgaria categorically declared themselves for a global coalition to fight terrorism and approved logistic facilities and support to the coalition. Bulgaria aligned with the decision of the North Atlantic Council from 4^th of October 2001 and joined the European Union Plan of Action from 21^st of September 2002 as well as the Declarations of the European Conference (Brussels), and the Counter-Terrorism Summit of Central and East-European States (Warsaw). Bulgaria participates also in the OSCE Plan of Action against terrorism adopted by the Council of Ministers in Bucharest. 

 

General commitments of Bulgaria as a participant in the anti-terrorist coalition:

·        The Bulgarian government has granted access to US aircraft to Bulgaria’s airspace for the purposes of the counter-terrorist operations.

·        Taking additional measures for tightening arms export control and trade with dual use goods.

·        The Republic of Bulgaria is party in 13 conventions for fight against terrorism and has recently joined two other UN conventions – Convention on combat financing of terrorism and International convention on combating the bomb terrorism.

·        The Bulgarian Ministry of Finance together with the Bureau of Financial Investigation have undertaken a number of concrete measures for cutting all possible assets and sources of terrorist groups on Bulgarian territory.

·        After the September 2001 attacks in New York there has been established a direct communication line, related to terrorism, between the US Department of State and the Bulgarian Government.

·        The Bulgarian Government is working on adoption of a National Plan to Combat Terrorism, implementing UN Security Council resolutions 1368 and 1373.

 

Concrete measures undertaken by the Bulgarian Government:

The Republic of Bulgaria is among the states for which the threat of international terrorism has a geopolitical dimension constantly causing serious concerns. The specific of the crossroad location of the Balkan Peninsula and especially the

Intense armed conflicts in the West Balkans are a nourishing environment for organizing crime, international terrorism and illicit cross-border trafficking. More specifically, in implementation of Resolution 1373 (2001) of the UN Security Council, the Bulgarian Government has taken a list of financial, legislative and other measures in cooperation with the Anti-Terrorist Coalition:

·        There has been established a Financial Intelligence Agency, which has extended the circle of institutions, required to identify their clients and report any suspicious operations (Bulgarian National Bank, the customs administrations, the Central Depositary, sports organizations, pension funds etc.)

·        The Council of Ministers adopted ratification of the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing the Terrorism. The changes in the Bulgarian legislation will introduce punishment for preparation of the following crimes (kidnapping and unlawful deprivation of liberty; importing or exporting explosives, firearms or ammunition; using of atomic energy for peaceful purposes)

·        Within the framework of the Civil-Military Emergency Planning Process for South-Eastern Europe, an agreement establishing the Council of heads responsible for protection of the population in natural disasters has been signed by Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia.

·        The Bulgarian Criminal Code acts under the relevant UN conventions and set out a detailed list of terrorist acts – some of them are: (destroying public buildings and transport vehicles; murdering an official, including one of a friendly state or army; unlawfully seizing an aircraft; spreading agents of epidemic diseases for the purposes of infecting people.

·        Republic of Bulgaria has ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the European Convention on Extradition and the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism.

·        The Republic of Bulgaria will implement on regional level the European Union Action Plan measures. According to the agreements on combating cross-border crime, Bulgaria establishes intergovernmental police co-operation with Romania, Greece, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.

The Government of Bulgaria believes that economic sanctions, as coercive measures imposed with Chapter VII of the UN Charter, should be adequately targeted to each specific case. That effect will be even bigger if any decision on imposition of sanctions is based on a pre-assessment on their results.

Special attention should be paid to the recommendations made in the Brahimi Report on reinforcement of the UN system for operational planning and effective deployment of peacekeeping operations. Bulgaria will be guided by its perception for smooth transition from a conflict situation to post-building peace building measures. It is also necessary to strengthen the contacts and consultations between UN and various regional organizations in the field of prevention and settlement of conflicts.

 

Iraqi problem and resolution 1441 (2002).

As a Security Council member, Bulgaria is taking part in the work of various Sanctions Committees. The Bulgarian Government is a Chairman of the Committee for Sanctions against Somalia, Deputy Chairman of the Committees for Sanctions against Libya (suspended at present) and against Iraq.

The Bulgarian government considers resolution 1441 on Iraq, which the Security Council voted for on 8^th of November 2002, to be a historical resolution.
It provides Iraq with another, a last chance to convince the international community that it does not possess weapons of mass destruction, or if it does is ready to destroy them under the supervision of UN inspectors (UNMOVIK) and MAAE. It also provides a reinforced and clarified mandate for UNMOVIK and МААЕ inspectors. It sends a strong message to the government in Baghdad concerning consequences of failure to fulfill its responsibilities in accordance with the appropriate SC resolutions. The resolution confirms Security Council’s key role in the decision-making process concerning international peace and security, as well as the significance of multilateral diplomacy in international relations.

Last but not least, the resolution is very important for international peace and security because it creates obstacles before distribution of mass destruction weapons.
Bulgaria was among the first SC members to express support for the resolution. The Bulgarian delegation works tirelessly to achieve this unanimous agreement, which strengthens the message to the government in Baghdad.
All proposals and comments made by SC member states during the consultations of these six weeks, which the British ambassador noted, including Bulgaria's proposals concerning the preamble (the preamble includes a new paragraph concerning the role of the UN Secretary-General and the Secretary General of the Arab League and League members) have been included in the text of the resolution. Bulgaria expresses its trust and support of Dr. Hans Blix, Dr. El-Baradei and their teams. Resolution 1441 is not a pretext for using force - it is a proof of the international community's commitment to Iraq's disarmament through peaceful methods. The Bulgarian government appeals to Iraq for its full cooperation with UNMOVIK and MAAE inspectors in accordance with resolution text. Iraqi authorities hold the nation's fate in their hands. If the SC resolution is carried out, disarmament of Iraq through peaceful methods as well as a possible end to the Iraqi nation's sufferings will be achieved. There will be conditions for its reintegration into the international community. We are expecting the possibility to end sanctions, normal functioning of Iraqi economy and paying off its foreign debt, including in relation to Bulgaria.