INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Sofia, 23-24 March 2001
Program
H. E. Ambassador Richard Miles, Embassy of
USA, Sofia
I am pleased to open Coalition
2000's Third Regional Anti-corruption Forum. I saw many of you
at the Coalition's second regional forum last February in
Bistritza. I am impressed at the attendance here and at the
continuity of this program.
The reason we are all here today
is, of course, - Coalition 2000 and what they stand for - a
civic initiative to fight corruption.
The US Government has supported
civil initiatives in many areas of public life in Bulgaria. We and
our donor colleagues do offer assistance and provide external
expertise - but the real process has to develop from the inside. It
is all of your societies that must make this process work. This is
even more evident at the regional level - in Macedonia, and in
Kosovo. Much of what has made Coalition 2000 the success
that it is today it is that it began as an internal, grassroots
initiative.
Corruption and crime, two of
Bulgaria's most important current problems, feed on each other.
Earlier this week the Director of the FBI, Louis Freeh, was in
Sofia, and although his primary concern was the joint fight against
organized crime, he also discussed with his Bulgarian counterparts
how the U.S. can help make Bulgarian police, investigatory,
prosecutorial, and judicial bodies could be made more effective in
the fight to uproot corruption.
One point Mr. Freeh made was that
Bulgaria is definitely not alone in the fight to eliminate crime
and corruption. Many countries of Central and Eastern Europe face
some of these same fundamental issues and challenges to sovereignty
and social stability as you go through your transitions. The
problem of corruption is further complicated because transitioning
from restricted societies with absolute state control over the
economy, to open political democracies and market economies is an
enormous task.
The public-private partnership in
preventing corruption, introduced by Coalition 2000 is
unique in this post-communist context. Formations like Coalition
2000 and governments are only now beginning to look upon one
another as allies in policy reform.
It is of primary importance to
promote a democratic political and economic culture with trust and
respect for government institutions, transparency of administration
and a sense of stability and security.
Ideally this comes from a
combination of political will from the top and public pressure from
the bottom. Bulgaria has made some serious efforts in that respect
- both at the level of government and society at large, and I would
like to applaud them for that.
At the same time, here we are in a
pre-election environment. As anywhere, these times are prone to
increased political tension. Nonetheless, I am confident that
Bulgaria will prove that reforms taken to date are durable, and
that they will be sustained by the soon-to-be elected
Government.
Your presence here today is an
indicator that you and your countries realize the importance of the
fight against corruption. Regional Forums like this one contribute
not only to a joint effort in this fight, but they also create
further conditions for regional stability and security - something
that my government strongly supports.
I hope you will be able to use
this Forum also as a venue to further your contacts and maybe even
find new solutions to all of these challenges.
The US Government will continue
its support for your efforts in the fight against corruption. We
are looking at a new phase of anti-corruption support here in
Bulgaria. I hope this too will be an example for all of your
countries down the road.
Let me wish you a productive
session and more opportunities to meet together and discuss common
solutions to common problems in the future.
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