Svinarov follows the path of Grigor Stoichkov

Do you remember how communist leaders lied to the population that they could eat and drink anything after the Chernobyl catastrophe. That it was absolutely safe. Then it turned out that the comrades from the Central Committee and the Politburo had consumed only special food and beverages. Today, history repeats itself.

For a month, Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov had been telling the media he had discovered completely safe ways to destroy the SS-23 and Scud missiles, bearing no consequences to the population and scenery around the village of Zmeevo. If he continues to make such statements for another week, Svinarov will start convincing Bulgarians what amazing benefits the crop and the autumn seedings would derive from the missile decommissioning. And how the nitric acid from the Scud fuel would act as a fertiliser of the soil of the Stara Zagora region.

For some purpose the residents of Zmeevo and the nearby villages do not feel happy with Svinarov's encouraging news. Just the opposite, they are building live chains and 24-hour protests. What silly people. They do not know that Svinarov has considered everything. He has already found a way, on the basis of his rich lawyer practice, to divide the indivisible. To cut the working part of the Scud which represents a monolithic body, one ton each. "The destruction of the active parts of the missiles can be made only through an explosion," reserve officer Colonel Atanassov who has spent 25 five years of his life in the missile forces, said in early June. All missile experts confirmed his statement, but their opinion means nothing to Svinarov.

The defence minister said on Monday of his intention to "gradually burn the missiles." Just like that, like old newspapers.

Retrograde experts say something else. They argue that the SS-23 engine represents a three-ton monolithic head, whose true contents is unknown to the Bulgarian missile experts. The Soviet comrades did not trust them enough in fear of not imitating their production. How to burn something and to that safely something, whose contents one is not aware of? Only Svinarov knows.

And how harmless are the SS-23 engine contents? An ordinance from the Russian Federation can quickly give an answer to the question. The contents of the launch installation should be left 15 minutes after the launch of an SS-23 missile in the hiding place. Because the gases after the firing the engine of the missile are so toxic that they need a quarter of an hour to diffuse in the open. Svinarov, however, will burn them "in stages."

Some 16 engines, three tons each, are capable of poisoning the soil, water and all living creatures for a long time. And what is still moving will be destroyed by the Scud detonations. But should one be that petty with details. After the Stara Zagora region, there are so many other regions. But if Bulgaria is to be acceded to NATO, how could Bulgarians ever object to the Euroatlantic values?

The most ridiculous moment in this story is the support of leader of the Union of Democratic Forces Nadezhda Mihailova. She organised a whole news conference dedicated to Svinarov. To explain to people how correct the lawyer-minister has actually been in his desire to poison and put to ashes a region with a light hand. Seized by inertia, Mihailova attacked the only statesman, who spoke adequately on the missile issue, President Georgi Purvanov. When the ruling majority voted the liquidation of the undeniably only serious armament last year, the President remained a solo player. He demanded to attend to the missiles only when NATO presented clear guarantees and offered a compensating armament. A position, under which every Bulgarian patriot would put his signature. But obviously, Svinarov does not consider himself one.

Otherwise, the Union of Democratic Forces and the National Movement Simeon II are big "opposition" to the act when in Parliament. But when it comes to lying to people, they sing the same song and in tune. It is interesting why they did not go and make all these arguments to the people of Zmeevo. They have even named a hill after Svinarov. It is clear how much in love they have been with the charismatic figure of the defence minister.

Probably the same people will be the first court witnesses when one day, people demand explanation from the acting minister of defence for a crime against the Bulgarian population. Like it happened with Grigor Stoichkov.

An explosive blend on the tobacco road

Ever since the Movement for Rights and Freedoms made its promise to place tobacco purchasing as a major criterion for the selection of a buyer for Bulgartabac, it became clear how risky it was to the strategically important deal. With the advancement of the procedure, the traps emerging from this approach are ever clearer. The largest of them is on its way to unloosen by leading the state into the murky swamp of insecure contracts.

After the promises of the future of tobacco production were burdened with the heaviest weight in the evaluation of the final offers, the case reached the ridiculous situation to have Michael Chorny, who has been exiled from Bulgaria and is being investigated abroad, as a leader in the Bulgartabac bid. And not with the unthinkable generosity of its financial offer, but rather with the most qualitative statement on the issue "Bulgaria - Tobacco's Road."

At the moment there is hardly a person in the country, who can surely say how much will the cigarettes cost next year, what taxes will be imposed on them, how much should tobacco cost and what subsidies will the state disburse for the crop. Well, under these circumstance, who will be the one to calculate how much tobacco may Bulgartabac buy out in two years or in five? The combination between political clientelism and the tricks of some economic "subjects" with politicians is no less explosive than a Molotov cocktail. Finally, somebody will be left cheated and the recent situation with MobilTel is a good illustration of the fact.

Kapital