site.btaDOST Founding Conference in Sofia

DOST Founding Conference in Sofia

Sofia, April 10 (BTA) - "We are establishing a new, liberal, pro-NATO and European party, which will serve the Bulgarian citizens," said Lyutvi Mestan in a speech Sunday at the unveiling of the founding conference of his new party Democrats for Responsibility, Freedom and Tolerance (DOST). Mestan was elected chairman of the new party unianimously.

"DOST is established in the name of equal rights for all Bulgarian citizens, regardless of their language and religion," said Mestan.

DOST will be an anti-oligarchic party, said Mestan, noting a need for reform of the judiciary and the convening of a Grand National Assembly which will "unblock the energy of the reformist forces".

Mestan recalled excerpts from the pre-Christmas speech of Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF) honorary chairman Ahmed Dogan after which Mestan was denounced as MRF leader and expelled from the party. Mestan defied his expulsion over his defence of universal Euro-Atlantic values "as styled in the fashion of the most blatant totalitarian examples of retribution".

Mestan defined Turkey as a strategic partner for Bulgaria and said that Bulgaria should develop a special strategy for its relations with Turkey.

According to Mestan, the EU security system should be strengthened but not at the expense of freedom. He said that a notion of the European Union as " Christian club" is a negation of the nature of the Union itself.

The conference was attended by more than 1,000 delegates from all over the country. Guests included Turkish Ambassador here Suleyman Gokce and diplomats of the French, Ukrainian and Polish embassies, MPs and representatives of the Turkish Justice and Development Party, the Nationalist Movement Party and the
Republican People's Party and of Bulgarian immigrant organizations in Turkey.

The conference also adopted rules of organization, which introduce a restriction of up to two terms for serving party leader and regional leader.