2011-09-04 The "Gipsy with Lenin" writes to the US ambassador Warlick

Your Excellency,

One year ago you were opening a bridge connecting the Roma district in Tsarevo with the rest of the Black Sea town.

You were standing among the audience next to the town’s Mayor, Petko Arnaudov, and Regional Governor, Konstantin Grebenarov. Both are former members of a party, declared criminal by current Bulgarian legislation – the Bulgarian Communist Party, and are agents of the macabre Communist State Security, DS.

I stood behind you with a large portrait of Lenin. The following message was written on its back: “Уберите посла, верните Вождя. Агент ДС “Гоце” и Агент ДС “Иванов” град Мичурин” (In Russian, meaning “Take away the Ambassador, bring back the Leader. DS Agent Gotse (which is the alias of current Bulgarian President, Georgi Parvanov, as Communist State Security Agent) and DS Agent, Ivanov (which is the alias of the Mayor Petko Arnaudov), town of Michurin).

I was hoping that you, personally, and the attending media would notice the board and ask me why I was standing there and what this curious installation meant. But the first one to notice me, even before you, was the Mayor, who became outraged and said: “Who is the Gipsy with Lenin?”

Police arrived and took me away to the precinct where I received a citation for violating public order, even though I did not violate anything. They also confiscated my sign. I suppose meanwhile Agent Ivanov (Petko Arnaudov) took you to an official dinner where you proposed toasts for the integration of Roma.

Minutes before the policemen took me away, I saw you hugging and kissing Agent Ivanov. It was truly touching. The Roma applauded, the municipal female workers were taking deep breaths and were moved.

At the time I also wrote you a letter, published in a number of Bulgarian media. In it I asked if you were kissing Agent Ivanov because the protocol requires it, or over the impervious interests of the USA – the Great Enemy of Communism and tyranny or over some other reasons.

I never received an answer and reconciled with you imperial disdain.

However, several days ago, I saw you visiting Lukoil in the company of Valentin Zlatev, showering with compliments this business which violates Bulgarian laws by failing to install measuring devices for the excise goods it processes and exports.

You predecessor at the post, James Pardew, in a classified cable, writes the following about Valentin Zlatev [05SOFIA1207]:

“LUKOIL’s representative in Bulgaria is VALENTIN ZLATEV. The Russian petroleum company is estimated to be the largest corporate taxpayer in Bulgaria. It also controls Russian oil exports to Bulgaria. Lukoil's Bulgarian operations, through Zlatev, are suspected of strong ties to Russian intelligence and organized crime.”

Ambassador John Beyrle fills in the picture with the following words [06SOFIA647]:

"¶14. (S/NF) Borisov has close financial and political ties to LUKoil Bulgaria Director Valentin Zlatev, a vastly influential kingmaker and behind-the-scenes power broker. Borisov's loyalty (and vulnerability) to Zlatev play a major role in his political decision making."

The unprecedented selflessness you demonstrated in shielding Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, busted by Beyrle for participating in illegal traffic in methamphetamines, will remain in history as one of the most curious reactions (globally) of an American Ambassador to information released from the cables. We are yet to learn if there was a personal reason for such “blind” and emotional defense or if you were motivated by the mention of the mysterious SIMO, which confirmed the information about Borisov.

After your joint appearance with Zlatev, I anticipate your arrival at the construction site of the Trakiya highway in the company of Vassil Bozhkov aka The Skull, whom your assistants at the Embassy consider to be the most dangerous gangster in Bulgaria [09SOFIA508], to praise the work done by his company and to point out that Bozhkov is a key businessman for Bulgaria’s economy.

I would not be surprised to also see you at a meeting of the “Vuzrazhdane” club, reinstated on your initiative. I toss to you the idea to initiate the mounting of a modest monument of the gunned down banker, Emil Kyulev, called by your Services “the top money launderer” in Bulgaria [05SOFIA1847].

With the arrival of the winter season, I have no doubt you will take a trip on Tseko Minev’s illegal ski lifts and will praise the large-scale investments of his Yulen company in the Pirin Mountain. Minev’s First Investment Bank is listed in a cable, prepared by John Beyrle, as the money laundry for the capital of the mafia. [06SOFIA1652]

In anticipation of all these events, in the upcoming days, I intend to provide the Bulgarian public with all diplomatic reports, available to WikiLeaks, signed by you and by your pious wife, who is US Ambassador in Belgrade.

Regretfully, I cannot say that your prose is shining with talent on the backdrop of cables sent by your predecessors from Sofia. You reports are definitely inferior in style, precision and substance even to the texts of your spouse, Lady Warlick.

However, I have no doubt that next year you will compensate for this deficit by your shining presence at fashion, social and cultural events in our country, unless something unforeseen happens with your career, such as being promoted Ambassador in Podgorica, for example.

Respectfully,
The Gipsy with Lenin
Atanas Tchobanov - Journalist with Bivol.bg, a partner site of WikiLeaks for the Balkans.