The six Bulgarian medics were examined by internal disease expert Steliyan Ivanov and psychotherapist Rosanka Krasteva. The general condition of the six medics is good but they are very nervous. Thursday evening the six had dinner with the two Bulgarian doctors in a villa in the outskirts of Tripoli where they were moved in February thanks to the assistance of the Qaddafi Foundation. Ivanov and Krasteva's mission to Libya is organized by the Bulgarian Doctors' Union.

 

 

 

About 30 or 40 armed to teeth bandits with rich criminal experience in 9-10 cars race around Sofia. They are chasing each other trying to make a hit, Secretary General of the IM General Boyko Borissov said commenting the war between drug dealers from the gangs of Klyuna and Varsanov. My personal opinion is that all these people must be arrested and sentenced to many years in prison. Thus we would protect the children whom they hook on drugs and, on the other hand, blasts and murders in Sofia would be prevented, General Borissov said.

 

 

 

According to the Bulgarian head of state, a discussion on the Iraq issue can be launched within the Security Council if any of its member makes a specific proposal . "Evidently, there is a will for that," said Parvanov. The Bulgarian president commented that the U.S. is ready to participate actively in drafting a new policy of the Security Council setting clear demands before Saddam Hussein, mostly concerning Iraq's disarmament. According to Parvanov, a discussion on Iraq will most likely open within the Security Council while Bulgaria hold the Council's rotating chair in September.

The timeframe for drafting a possible resolution depends on the will of the other members which must search for consensus on the matter, said Parvanov. He pointed out that Bulgaria expressed its stand on Iraq before President Bush's speech. Bulgaria was among the first countries state clearly that the Security Council needs to tackle this matter quickly and resolutely, said the Bulgarian president. He recalled that Bulgaria's stand reflects also the country's role as chair of the Security Council in September. Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, who is accompanying Parvanov, said that he had the opportunity to talk with President Bush during a lunch given by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Passy was presented by Italian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Passy quoted Berlusconi as saying, "Bulgarians are good allies," to which the US President responded that he trusts Berlusconi's judgement. Passy added that he and Bush exchanged views on Bulgaria's participation in the anti-terror coalition. The two voiced their satisfaction with the cooperation between their countries. Passy described Bush's speech before the UN General Assembly as extremely well-balanced. The U.S. is obviously considering another approximation of positions with the international community and with the UN in particular, said Passy, adding that a clear evidence of this is the US decision to return to UNESCO after an 18-year break.

 

 

 

President Purvanov Meets Latvian, Albanian Counterparts, Bulgarian Wall Street Club Members.

 

New York, September 14 (BTA spec. corr. Dimiter Anestev) - President Georgi Purvanov, who is in New York for the 57th session of the UN General Assembly, met Friday evening with his Latvian and Albanian counterparts.

 

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the Bulgarian head of state made an assessment of bilateral political and economic contacts and agreed that delegations of the two countries exchange visits and discuss foreign trade.

 

Bulgaria and Latvia will exchange expertise on EU integration, as well.

 

This is the first meeting between Purvanov and a Latvian president. Bulgarian-Latvian relations are problem-free but sparse, the President's secretary on international affairs Zlatin Trupkov told reporters. He quoted the two presidents' position that two-way trade, too, is unsatisfactory. Sofia and Riga do not have embassies in the opposite country; their two presidents meet within big international fora only.

 

Purvanov conferred with his Albanian counterpart Alfred Moisiu in the office of the Bulgarian permanent representation to the UN.

 

Bulgaria will assist Albania in its efforts for NATO membership, it emerged after the talks. Trupkov quoted the Albanian president as saying that the existing visa regulations stand in the way of trade.

 

Earlier on Friday Purvanov had lunch with representatives of the Anti-Defamation League Jewish organization, who voiced their gratitude for the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during WWII. For his part, Purvanov voiced the opinion that economic ties with the U.S. could be invigorated. The Bulgarian president described as unsatisfactory US investment and two-way trade, which stands at some 500 million dollars annually.

 

The President also met with some 30 young Bulgarians studying and working in the U.S., all members of the Bulgarian Wall Street Club.

 

They voiced their readiness to organize investment seminars and fora to familiarize the chiefs of U.S.companies with the opportunities for investment in Bulgaria. A Bulgarian - American Chamber of Commerce which will try to step up economic ties is pending registration. Undeer another initiative of the Bulgarian Wall Street Club a Bulgarian-U.S. investment fund will be set up. It will manage some 150 million dollars of funding for Bulgarian projects in agriculture, the light and food industry and tourism. The Bulgarian Wall Street Club's idea is to rehabilitate privatized Bulgarian companies facing financial problems.

 

 

 

Edirne, September 14 (BTA) - Culture Minister Abrashev familiarized himself Saturday with the state of Bulgarian cultural and historical monuments in Edirne and with the efforts of the Bulgarian consular office and the Bulgarian community for their restoration, General Consul to Edirne Georgi Dimov told BTA.

 

There are four Bulgarian sites of cultural and historical significance in Edirne - the Sts. Constantine and Helena and the St. George churches which were built in the 1860s and the 1870s, respectively, the 1912 military cemetery and the Dr. Peter Beron boys' high school which was closed in 1913.

 

Abrashev paid a brief visit to Edirne en route to Istanbul where he is to attend a UNESCO meeting of the culture ministers of 90 countries devoted to cultural heritage.nk

 

The Bulgarian culture minister met with Edirne Mayor Cengiz Varnatopu and with the town's vice-governor.

 

 

Nevena Mircheva

 

The company's boss inaugurated the fourth shop in Sofia yesterday.

 

Bulgarian companies will manufacture shirts, leather articles and shoes from materials supplied by Benetton, it transpired after the yesterday's meeting of Luciano Benetton - chairman of the Italian company, and Vice-Premier Nikolay Vassilev. Currently, negotiations are being held with several BG firms, Italian businessman specified. Benetton Group doesn't envisage to make direct investments in Bulgaria, he said further. The company has a contract with two Bulgarian textile ventures and over 300 employees are manufacturing cloths with the world famous trade mark. Luciano Benetton arrived in Sofia yesterday for the inauguration of the new store in 'Vitosha' Blvd, which is the fourth one in the capital city. There are shops in Varna and Bourgas - one in each of the towns. Bulgarian experts under 25-years of age can apply for scholarship of the Young Talents' Center - 'Factory' of Benetton Group, it became clear after the yesterday's meeting. The center allocates 35 to 40 scholarships annually for training young people with modern ideas, Luciano Beneton elaborated. So far several Bulgarian young men have been trainees of the center.

 

 

Kostadin Arshinkov

 

Minister of Agriculture Mehmed Dikme and Minister of Environment and Waters Dolores Arsenova will take part in the Day of the Organic Farming, which will be held at the Plovdiv Fair today. The ministers will be invited to become members of the jury in a beauty contest for cows and select the best farmer. Before that Minister Dikme and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Bulgaria are to sign a memorandum of agreement between the two governments. The document envisages implementation of the project 'Rare Local Breeds' dealing with the preservation of the diversity of rare domestic animals in Bulgaria. The project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is worth 390,000 SHF.