Clinton Hails Bulgaria's Gains; Thousands Cheer as President Lauds Ex- Soviet Satellite's Democratic Efforts
On a packed square where Bulgarians celebrated the end of their Stalinist government a decade ago, President Clinton praised this Eastern European nation today for turning its eyes and ambitions to the West. He promised more help from the United States if Bulgaria continues its movement toward democracy and a reliable economic system.</br></br>As several thousand people cheered and waved flags in the broad square before the Nevski Cathedral, with a full moon just starting to rise, Clinton hailed Bulgaria for throwing off communism and holding fair elections, even as he acknowledged the path has been bumpy.</br></br>"Communist rulers . . . fed you lies, yet you sought the truth," he said. "When the Cold War ended, it took much longer for the ground here to thaw."</br></br>Bulgaria, like Romania, has found it difficult to evolve from life as a Soviet satellite, suffering crippling inflation and unstable governments until 1997, when Petar Stoyanov was elected president and the economy began to find its feet. Clinton spent a busy day here not only to encourage that transition but also to draw a distinction between Bulgaria and its neighbor, Yugoslavia.</br></br>While many Bulgarians disapproved of the U.S.-led bombing of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo conflict, Stoyanov's government did not openly condemn the NATO campaign. Clinton, the first U.S. president to visit this country, returned the favor today. Standing next to Stoyanov, he told the crowd, "you stood with NATO" when the Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, threatened the promise of an "undivided, democratic" Europe.