site.btaInterior Minister Says He Does Not Intend to Resign

Interior Minister Daniel Mitov Sunday said he has no intention of resigning because when the question of resignation is raised, one must ask "why" and whether there are real grounds for it. He was speaking on bTV about the opposition's calls for his resignation, which he described as normal.

Regarding the large-scale protest on December 1 in Sofia where there we clashes with the police, Mitov said that the Ministry of Interior had done its main job - to protect the lives and health of peaceful protesters. "If the police had been aggressive, they would now be calling for resignations because the police had bloodied the protest," the Minister said. Mitov stressed that it was important that there were no accusations of police violence.

He explained that the police act according to special instructions and protocols. According to him, the provocations began with the start of an unauthorized rally in the centre of Sofia, initiated by the provocateurs of the protest. Mitov also said that an analysis would be made of where mistakes had been made by the Ministry of Interior. It is irresponsible to shift the responsibility to the Ministry of Interior; the responsibility lies with the organizers, the Minister argueed, emphasizing that good coordination is important.

When asked if there were any innocent victims among those detained at the protest, the Minister said that there was a reason for each of the arrests. Mitov also commented on the case of 21-year-old Nikolay Alexiev, whose mother claims that her son was subjected to police violence during the demonstrations. Mitov pointed out that every mother wants to protect her child. The young man has been remanded in custody and is well known to the police. He has been arrested for drug possession and other offences, commented the Minister.

When asked whether the leader of MRF - New Beginning Delyan Peevski interferes in his work, Mitov stated that "I have never heard from Peevski, nor does he have any desire to influence my work."

The Minister added that he obviously has the trust of GERB leader Boyko Borissov, since the latter has not asked for his resignation thus far. "I am not interested in saving my own skin, but in the Ministry of Interior working professionally and not being used for political purposes," Mitov told bTV.

When asked about the future of the Zhelyazkov Cabinet, Mitov said that the only thing that interests him politically and as a statesman is Bulgaria's entry in the eurozone.

Mitov defended the increase in salaries in the Ministry of Interior. This is also an anti-corruption measure, and higher salaries mean higher requirements, he argued. According to him, the results are already visible. Optimization of the Ministry of Interior's staff can be done at the beginning of next year, but it must be done wisely, Mitov believes.