Martins Zvaners:Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. My name is Martins Zvaners, and I am the associate director of communications with the Washington, D.C., office and I welcome you to this briefing. I'd first like to turn it over to our president, Thomas Dine, who would like to make a presentation.

Thomas Dine:Well, we are a news organization, but we also have our own emotions; and Foreign Minister Pasi, we are thrilled that Bulgaria has been accepted, at least been invited, to join NATO. And we don't see any reason why it won't become a full participant in NATO. So we offer our congratulatios and best wishes. Secondly, this is your first visit to us here at our international-broadcast headquarters. And I would like to present you with a little gift on this occasion, just in remembrance of the NATO summit in Prague in 2002.

Solomon Pasi: Thank you.

Dine:Thank you. I can also say something personal. I think the foreign minister has done unbelievable work in his efforts -- as I understand, it started at about 1990 -- to bring NATO to Bulgaria and Bulgaria to NATO. And I commend you, sir, for your efforts, and I look forward to seeing you in Sofia in the very near future as we discussed at dinner the other night. The [RFE/RL] Bulgarian Service does not know that yet, but I am headed there again.

Pasi:Thank you, Tom, Thank you, Martins. It is really an extraordinary moment for me to be here in the headquarters of Radio Free Europe. I never imagined that I would visit for the first time in my life the beautiful city of Prague together with a first visit to the headquarters of Radio Free Europe, together with the NATO summit -- at which Bulgaria would be invited [to become a member]. This is really a historical moment for me, and I take this opportunity to thank Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty for what they were doing in the last decades. Actually, you are only one year younger than NATO, and in the last half century you worked very, very hard in the same political mainstream in which NATO has worked: for democracy, for market economy, rule of law, and human rights.

I remember how important Radio Free Europe was in Bulgaria during communist times. We did not have a reliable source of information coming from inside the country; that is why we were listening, though your transmissions were jammed. And we were jumping from frequency to frequency after the radio jammers, and at the end of the day we succeeded [in] something. So thank you very much. I have been staying with your radio for over three decades.

Zvaners:Thank you very much, Mr. Foreign Minister. I'd like to open up now for questions. I'd like to ask that each of you -- before you ask a question -- identify yourself and that you make use of microphones here so that everyone can hear the questions. Open for the first question. Please.

Questioner:Mr. Foreign Minister, it emerged today that again there were contradictions between different members of the Bulgarian delegation as to whether a letter from Washington was received or what interpretation this letter should be given. On one hand, we have a number of officials who claim that this letter was received in the beginning of this week; and on the other hand, we have the prime minister, Mr. Simeon Saxecoburggotski, who said that there was no such letter; and we also had some comments on the issue [of] whether this is not classified information and it should not be disclosed in this way. And I would invite you to clarify and to comment on what exactly happened. Thank you, Mr. Minister.

Pasi:Thank you. If there was a letter, I have never seen it so I cannot discuss it. If you are asking about the talks that we have with our allies, we have such talks for many, many months -- "What will happen if...?" etc., etc. But the biggest part of our political energy is focused now in the [United Nations] Security Council. You know that Bulgaria is working already 11 months on the Security Council, and we have always tried to help reach a consensus on the council. And I think that this last resolution [Resolution 1441] that we agreed upon is really quite an achievement of the international community. And I am proud to say that Bulgaria gave its modest contribution to this consensus. We have done our best in order to avoid the military solution of the Iraqi problem, but now the ball is in the field of Iraq's government.

Zvaners:Thank you, Mr. Foreign Minister.

Questioner:Mr. Minister, my question has two parts to it. One is: Latvia and Bulgaria shortly before the invitation were two countries criticized by some Pentagon officials for not being able to keep classified private information safe. There were some doubts about this. This is the first part of [my question]. Then the second part is: President Bush, speaking at the Hilton Hotel here [in Prague] was pointing to a need for all the countries in the future to increase and of course to improve military spending. Is Bulgaria ready to cope with those demands as far as the classified information is concerned and the increase of military spending?

Pasi:On the first question, we know the problem with the classified information and we have recently adopted a new law on classified information according to which we have new regulations. So we are now planning to implement this law. But you know that there is the distance between the adoption of the law and implementation of the law now, in this intermediate period. As far as the second question is concerned -- to increase the defense spending of Bulgaria -- I should say that there is no room for expanding our defense expenditure at this moment because Bulgaria has the highest percentage of military spending, as compared to GDP, not only among the aspirant countries but also as compared to many, many existing [NATO] member states. We have 3.1 percent of the GDP [represented in] defense expenditure, which is really an astronomical amount of money.

Questioner:What was the most useful advice that Bulgaria received from the first three countries that were in the initial wave [of postcommunist NATO expansion] three years ago: Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland? What advice did they give you that really proved useful, and what advice did you pass on to the three remaining countries in the Vilnius group -- Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia -- that are very eager to get into NATO but whose prospects may not be as good as yours were?

Pasi:The good advice that we received from the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland was "prepare yourselves." And the preparation of our countries went through the MAP process, the Membership Action Plan. The Membership Action Plan was an essential tool for Bulgaria to prepare itself to join the alliance. I'll give you an example: The previous former newcomers to NATO had five rounds of negotiations of the accession treaty, while in this wave we only expect two rounds of negotiations. And the reason is that we have our MAP behind ourselves. When Tom [Dine] asked me downstairs [if I would] produce news, I forgot I had something in my pocket. But I'll tell it here. I have received a letter from [NATO Secretary-General Lord George] Robertson, who asked me whether I confirm that Bulgaria will to join NATO after the invitation. And if so, he invites us to define a team for negotiations. And I have just signed the answer to Lord Robertson, telling him, "Of course, yes. We are absolutely determined to start the negotiations..."

Questioner:Second half: your advice.

Pasi:If they ask me for advice -- I don't want to self-impose my advice. If they ask me, I will say the same: Follow the MAP.

Questioner:Mr. Minister, what possible obstacles can you see on the road to Bulgaria's final accession? Obstacles in negotiations or whatever can appear or may appear on this way? Thank you.

Pasi:When a year ago I met one of our American colleagues and he asked me what would be [my] worst nightmare, I answered him: "My worst nightmare would be an illegal drug traffic to be detected coming out of Bulgaria." And I still believe it is one of the main obstacles -- not only in front of Bulgaria but in front of any of the potential candidates. And that is why our government is very serious about -- and we are absolutely determined to do the job -- to keep any other cases which may try to appear in future. Such things happen all over the world -- such illegal deals happen everywhere in the world. What is important for us is to have a plan on how to reduce and punish such criminal acts.

Questioner:Drug traffic or weapons traffic?

Pasi:Weapons, did I say drug traffic? Sorry, this is my second nightmare.

Questioner:Mr. Minister, in the more optimistic prospective, when do we expect to conclude negotiations? What is exactly the calendar for [Bulgarian] accession to NATO?

Pasi:The calendar is the following: We have to agree upon the accession treaty, we have to sign the accession treaty, by the end of March 2003. Then we shall be looking forward for the ratification procedure, and we shall be lucky if we succeed in Pasing the ratification through the American Senate by the end of 2003. There are, however, three countries which have constitutional procedures preventing them from ratifying the document for shorter than a year's time. That is why we shall have to wait for a year after the signature of the accession treaty, and we are expecting the next summit of NATO in the first half of 2004. At this summit, our seven countries are supposed to be proclaimed the new members of the alliance.

Questioner:My first question is: Now seven countries were invited to access NATO; do you think there will be and when do you think will be the new wave of expansion of NATO? And my second question is: Maybe you are aware that Romania, before getting this invitation, got into some difficult problems between NATO, or the United States, on one hand and European Union on the other one. Do you see for Bulgaria any danger that it could also at some point until the end of entrance in NATO get in similar difficult moments?

Pasi:I cannot predict the new wave of NATO's enlargement, but I can tell you what I would be happy to [see] happen. And I'll be happy to see Macedonia, Albania, Croatia as invited to join NATO as soon as possible. This is our policy -- to support our neighbors -- and in this case, we shall be very strong supporters of these three countries, including by exchanging experience and exchanging the huge negative experience that we succeeded to gain in the last 13 years -- because we started 13 years ago.

On your second question, I understand very well what you are asking me about. Bulgaria is very frequently in a very, very diplomatic situation on the Security Council; and our policy is to work for the consensus between the European Union states, or the European Union as a whole, and the United States. We rather bridge the differences when [they] exist than widen the gaps.

Questioner:Minister, we all know that the biggest obstacle for modernizing the postcommunist countries' armies is not money but the old communist times' officers corps that have been known -- even in this country, for example -- to try to actively stop the reform of the army. What are you doing in your country to get rid of them and how are you playing this particularly difficult question?

Pasi:Well, thank you very much. This is a very serious question for us. And we have an action plan on how to approach it, how to address it. We have so-called Plan 2004, which defines the future of the Bulgarian armed forces until 2004. And we have also [a] vision [of] what will happen in the Bulgarian armed forces until 2010. First of all, I have to inform you that we have reduced our armed forces starting from such people [who] are not any more suitable or were [not] any more suitable to do the right job after the democratic changes. We inherited 120,000 troops after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and today we have 70,000 troops. And according to the law, we shall have to reduce this amount down to 45,000 troops. So this is the target figure, which we are supposed to reach in a couple of years.

And in the meantime, I have to assure you that many things [have] changed. Two generations changed: 12 years or 13 years. This is two generations, according to one of the definitions that I know -- a generation takes seven years. So we have two new generations changed in the army, and this brought quite a new spirit among the officers. We have young officers, well educated in the West, who were trained in the West, and we are using this type of people. I am sure that in the next three or four years we shall have the reform in our armed forces completed.

Zvaners:I'll take advantage and the privilege of the chair to ask a question also. Foreign Minister Pasi, you played a unique role in getting your country into the alliance back in 1990s by being the person who got Bulgaria thinking about NATO membership. And now, 10-11 years later, you have the opportunity again to be present at the time when that invitation to join NATO has been extended to your country. Did you want to share any of your insight, your views, that future members might be able to take advantage of? Just something about how you feel at this moment, at this occasion, not only for your country and for NATO, but for yourself as well?

Pasi:My friends, I started this business as such 12 years and 12 weeks ago. It was in August 1990. And all of us feel very, very excited -- however, a little tired. We need now a good sleep after 12 years plus in service. But if I have to define who is the person who spent the biggest percentage of his life for the reintegration of Bulgaria into Europe -- this is our prime minister, who is fighting in the last 56 years for the reintegration of Bulgaria into the West. He was exiled 56 years ago, and I think that this is a personal triumph of a person of great courage and strong motivation to transform his country into something much, much better.

Questioner:Sir, is the NATO you are looking at for 12 years and 12 weeks -- as you said -- is [it] very different from the one Bulgaria is invited to join now, or is it the same?

Pasi:This is a much better NATO. NATO 13 years ago did not want to invite Bulgaria.

Questioner:Mr. Minister, speaking about the foreign policy of Bulgaria after this invitation is received, do you anticipate any changes in relations with the big countries of the region -- of course, Russia, Turkey, Greece?

Pasi:Well, with each of these countries we have excellent relations. You started with Russia. Our relations with Russia today are better than ever in the postwar period. The last year -- actually after Russia understood that Bulgaria is to join NATO and that Bulgaria is a sovereign, independent country that makes its decisions alone -- I think this was a crucial moment for the change in our relations. In the last year, we exchanged a number of visits with excellent results. We even succeeded in solving...the 12-year-old problem of Russian debt to Bulgaria. We reached agreement, we signed the agreement, and the Russian side started the payments -- which is very important for bilateral relations. For Turkey and Greece, I can say the same. Our relations today with both of these countries are better than ever after the second world war. And both of these countries strongly supported Bulgaria joining NATO. We had a very productive format: 2+2, Bulgaria and Rumania supported by Greece and Turkey.

We also have a change in the relations with Romania in the last year and a half. We have decided it will be much wiser to [replace] the competition with cooperation, and the cooperation gave excellent results. I can tell you that the big difference in the public, in the world perception, of Bulgaria and Romania -- candidates to join NATO -- happened between 5 October and February, which respectively were the Vilnius meetings in Sofia and in Bucharest. All this happened in the context of the fight against terrorism after 11 September [2001]. So this cooperation between Bulgaria and Romania was an essential element of changing international public opinion. And this format, 2+2, which created additional stability in the Balkans, was something unique. We have never had such...cooperation between such different countries. And for Greece, especially, I would underline the strong support that we received vis-a-vis the European Union. The Greeks are honest and good friends who are supporting us a lot for membership in the European Union.

Zvaners:Foreign Minister Pasi, for President Dine, for the associate director of broadcasting and former Bulgarian Service Director Roman Traycey, and for our current Bulgarian Service Director Gueorgui Stoytchev, I'd like to express our thanks to you for coming today, for participating in this press conference. And thank all of you for coming.