Back Seat for Glasnost Amid Bulgarian Drive (original) (raw)
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- Oct. 3, 1987
Credit...The New York Times Archives
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October 3, 1987
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Section 1, Page
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Far-reaching governmental and economic restructuring is under way in this orthodox Communist country, but the striving for openness, which accompanies this process in the Soviet Union, is lagging behind.
''Glasnost is very much a junior partner,'' a senior Western diplomat said. A Communist Ambassador said it was easier for a new leader to undertake openness because he would experience little embarrassment in uncovering his predecessors' mistakes.
The Ambassador noted that President Todor Zhivkov could not blame failures on a predecessor and his cronies, as did Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Mr. Zhivkov has been chief of the Bulgarian Communist Party since 1954.
When he presented his restructuring plan July 28, Mr. Zhivkov acknowledged grave failings by the party. He said the party had exercised ''unlimited power'' in some spheres and had seized the Government's functions. This, he said, had led to ''uncontrollable omnipotence of party bodies and functionaries.'' Accusations but No Names
''A number of highly placed party functionaries have usurped the right to interpret the meaning of the law in their own way and to violate it with impunity,'' Mr. Zhivkov said.
There has been no elaboration on these charges. No names have been named, and no punishments announced.
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