Socialist leader Stanishev demands apology from EPP’s Daul for ‘despicable’ accusation
Sergei Stanishev, leader of the Party of European Socialists (PES) and of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, has demanded a ‘full and immediate’ apology from EPP group leader in the European Parliament, Joseph Daul, a PES statement said.
The Bulgarian Government of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov announced that the Bourgas terrorist attack had been carried out by Hezbollah despite the fact that the investigation by the Bulgarian national security consultative council was incomplete, PES said.
Joseph Daul, a French MEP, then reacted to the statement by the Bulgarian government by saying that;
“It was with great dismay I found out today that the leader of the PES, Mr Stanishev, has taken the side of Hezbollah in the debate following the disclosures of yesterday, as one can read on the organisation’s official website”.
Stanishev said that the announcement by the Government was done without the Bulgarian Parliament being informed and that democratic accountability in a parliamentary democracy that should be paramount, was instead entirely absent, the PES statement said.
According to Stanishev, it was not possible to make any conclusive statements on who was responsible without proper investigation and scrutinising of all the facts.
Stanishev said that; “In relation to the Bourgas attacks, and in the interest of the safety of Bulgarian, and indeed all EU, citizens, I was strongly advocating that all provisions are followed that ensure rigorous investigations and democratic accountability.
For Mr. Daul to twist this into the statement that he did is a despicable act, for which I demand he apologise, fully and immediately”.
Stanishev said that; “If Mr.Daul had bothered to check the facts, he would have seen that even members of his own EPP group were hesitant in supporting Borrisov’s government on this issue. It is ironic that on the very day that the European Parliament debates the rule of law and media freedom in Bulgaria, Mr. Daul has committed exactly the same faults that so concerns the European Parliament”.
“Perhaps Mr. Daul was frightened into making such an outrageous claim by Mr. Borrisov himself. If so he has got a taste for the tactics of this current Government. I hope he has the decency to apologise for his actions,” Stanishev said.
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