The DPS focuses over control in their National security strategy
Adelina Marini, July 7, 2009
The strategy of the DPS (the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, perceived as representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria) for development of national security and defense for the period 2009-2013, included in the election programme of the movement is poor, quite narrow and obviously is prepared by experts who are close to the intelligence services. This is what the defense expert of GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) col. Valentin Radev commented, asked by euinside. He and gen. Anyu Anghelov are the authors of the defense and national security part of the governing programme of GERB. It is worrying though, the said, that the authors of the DPS strategy talk mainly about the intelligence services. "I have the feeling that this programme is written in such a way that, if that is true, this speaks about their general idea for watching, defense, security, the Ministry of the Interior, the strategic Ministries and this is, somehow, worrying", col. Radev added.
"If all this is true and is signed by the leadership of the DPS, then they are focusing only over control. They have no ideas about what the field of defense looks like, should there be an integrated model, how it is going to develop, what is the legislations - good or bad, any ideas for changes in the social sphere, if you wish, any words for new equipment, fighting capacity and so many other questions, related to 5 of the biggest budgets in the country - this is a billion and 120 mn levs (half a billion euro). But they simply talk about the intelligence services, about control", col. Radev said.
Bulgaria doesn't need to develop such things which, according to col. Radev are taken from the past, because as a member of NATO our country may use the good practices of our partners. He called the document "pretenses for a strategy" by adding that in it there are a lot of details and no substance.
But the expert of GERB noted some positive ideas one of which is that fight against terrorism is put in a leading position in the document. Regretfully, the issue is absent on the programmes of most parties, but it is a very good issue because Bulgaria is an outer border and soon will stop corruption as well as many channels that pass through Bulgaria and all this would have an impact over national security. "When we interrupt these drugs and prostitution channels, some people would react", col. Radev explained. The whole spirit of the document is a little frustrating, he added.
Another positive element of the document of the DPS is the functional laws for the special services because "it is an absurd that the National Intelligence Service, the National Guard Service not to have separate legislation. They are without legislation! They function according to other sub law regulations. This is wrong and they mention it. They also have good things, I don't know if they took it from our programme or elsewhere, but the whole style is to talk about the special services and that is worrying", col. Valentin Radev once again underlined.
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