site.btaParty Wants Anti-Xenophobia Clause in Government Coalition Agreement

Party Wants Anti-Xenophobia Clause in Government Coalition Agreement


Sofia, December 8 (BTA) - The Freedom and Dignity People's Party
 (FDPP) believes that the inclusion of representatives of the
nationalist Patriotic Front (PF) in the executive means that it
becomes the third partner in the coalition agreement between
GERB and the RB, and insists that the coalition agreement should
 have a clause to deter xenophobic and discriminatory attitudes.
 

The position of the FDPP, which is part of the Reformist Bloc
coalition, was presented at a news briefing by its leader Korman
 Ismailov on Monday, several days after talks between the RB and
 the PF resulted in an agreement that the Patriots continue
supporting the government in exchange for getting two seats in
the executive: of a deputy defence minister and a deputy of the
Sofia Regional Governor. The two also agreed that
Turkish-language newscasts would be moved from the BNT1 channel
of the National Television to the less popular BNT2 channel. 

The agreement ended a fallout between the government coalition
of GERB and the RB, on the one side, and the PF, on the other,
over the appointment of a deputy defence minister and a deputy
Sofia Regional Governor nominated by Ismailov's FDPP. The
Patriots argued that the FDPP is a pro-Turkish party and
therefore
unsuitable for the high corridors of power, and threatened to
pull out their
support for the government in Parliament.

It was the Reformist Bloc which insisted that the government
they formed with GERB should have the support of the PF in
Parliament to ensure a majority - which it would not have had
without the PF.   
  
Korman Ismailov commented Monday that during hard talks on the
formation of a government, GERB "took a clear and firm stand
differentiating itself from the values and principles of the
PF". "Unlike their pro-European behaviour and position, and much
 to our surprise, some of our colleagues in the RB showed a
willingness for compromise and partnership with the
nationalists. As a result of this, a decision was made for
effective inclusion of the PF in the executive complemented by a
 deal for removing Turkish-language newscasts from BNT1,"
Ismailov said.
   
He went on to dismiss PF's criticism of the nature of the FDPP
and said his party "has nothing to do with extreme Islam,
fundamentalism, neo-Ottomanism and Erdoganism". "FDPP works for
stepping up the processes of EU integration, for improved
regional and global security, and enhanced cultural, economic
and trade relations with all neighbouring and Balkan countries,"
 he added.

According to him, at the core of the Patriotic Front are
individuals which "come from the most retrogressive part of the
repressive communist State Security Service".

Commenting Ismailov's call for anti-xenophobic clauses in the
coalition agreement, PF co-leader Krassimir Karakachanov said
that the Constitution and the Penal Code of Bulgaria already
have such safeguards.