Sofia, 17 July 1997 (RFE/RL) - Bulgaria's President Petar Stoyanov says he wants his Communist-era, secret-police file open to the public. Stoyanov today told reporters that a draft law on disclosure does not cover him - but, that he wants his file made public, even before the law takes effect.
Pariament tomorrow opens debate on the draft law. The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the former communists, have said they will vote against the law on national security grounds. Center-right parties now control parliament.
Deputy Prime Minister Vesseline Metodiev, a historian who served briefly in 1992 as head of the State Archives, has said about 250,000 Bulgarians were recruited as secret-police informers. When the Cabinet approved the draft law this month, Metodiev said its aim is to stop further speculation and blackmail among politicians. Under the draft law, the files of all members of parliament, ministers, top government officials and high-ranking judges would be opened.