DISAGREEMENT IN BULGARIA

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24769, 9 January 1946, Page 5

DISAGREEMENT IN BULGARIA

Effort To Broaden Government PREMIER VISITS MOSCOW (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (I ta€- 11 P-m.) LONDON, Jan. 8. The Moscow radio has announced that the Bulgarian Premier (Mr Simon Gecrgiev), accompanied by the Foreign Minister (Mr Stainov) and the Minister of the Interior (Mr Anton Guyov), has arrived in Moscow. Mr Georgiev paid a tribute to Russia as source of the hope of all democratic mankind.” Mr Stalin received the Bulgarian delegation. Mr Molotov was also present. The Moscow newspaper “Izvestia” has attacked the Bulgarian Opposition parties, alleging that they are frustrating the attempt to broaden the Government according to Moscow’s advice and the decisions of the Foreign Ministers’ conference “The conditions on which the Bulgarian Government is prepared to accept two Opposition members in the Government, in accordance with the recommendations of the Moscow conference, are set out in a Note to the Opposition wings of the Agrarian and Social Democrat parties,” says Reuter’s Sofia correspondent. “They include: “(1) The Opposition must approve the foreign and internal policy of the present Government; (2) the Opposition representatives in the Government must consider themselves under an obligation to comply with the basic principles of this policy; (3) the present Parliament must continue until the session ends on March 28, and must approve the State Budget, municipal election and other laws, and the summoning of the Grand National Assembly; (4) future elections should be held with separate party lists free of party coalitions; (5) parties eventually entering the Government must stop all animosity towards the Government.”

The correspondent adds- “The Opposition wings of the Agrarian and Sccial Democrat parties have turned down most of these proposals and submitted counter proposals, demanding that the Ministries of the Interior and of. Justice should go to other political organisations so that the freedom of citizens could be guaranteed, and that new free elections should be held as soon as possible.” “Bulgarian officialdom has turned to Moscow for guidance in the negotiations for the establishment of a Government acceptable to Britain and America,” reports the Associated Press correspondent in Sofia. “The Com-munist-dominated Fatherland Front Government has issued a communique stating that, because the Opposition’s propositions are unrealisable and beyond the friendly advice given by Russia, the Government has transmitted them to Moscow for a decision.” '