Bulgarian President Purvanov said he had a file as an agent of communist secret services.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov admitted he knew about a secret file of former communist services following his work as historian. "There is a file named after "Gotse". It contains information about me and not a word written by myself," he told journalists Friday, after remaining silent for years on leaked reports about the existence of such file.

The president explained the document traced his work as scientific consultant and editor on a history book, which he later learned involved the secret services of then communist regime, reported Sofia News Agency.

Parvanov put the blame for blowing up the secret files issue on right-wing leader Ivan Kostov, former prime minister.

"When shall we open the archives of family foundations?" the President rhetorically said.

Bulgaria's ruling coalition has vowed to undertake complete revision of the legislation regulating the opening of files of the former communist-era services. They were set to coin a clear mechanism designed in a manner that prevents prejudicial attitude when opening the archives.

MEP Geoffrey van Orden, who is rapporteur for Bulgaria, advised from the EP rostrum that the Bulgarian files' opening should not serve any political interests and should be done by an independent body.

The debate was relaunched after the names of two well-known television journalists, who allegedly collaborated with communist secret services, were revealed in the end of May by the interior ministry. Then the premier even suggested burning the files, following the examples of Greece and Spain, after their dictatorships fell.

Files of 46% of collaborators, 30% of people placed under surveillance and 91% of those who let facilities to the police were destroyed in January 1990, shortly after the communist dictator Todor Zhivkov was ousted. The file of Georghi Markov, a dissident assassinated in London in 1978 under bizarre circumstances, with what has come to be known as a "Bulgarian umbrella", has also disappeared.

A law passed in 1997 by the then conservative government led to the revelation of 150 names of ministers and members of parliament in post-communist governments, as well as several presidential and parliamentary candidates who had been agents and collaborators of the secret police, secret services and civilian and military counter-intelligence.

The constitutional court ruled, however, that names listed on documents from destroyed files could be manipulated and should not be revealed.

After a 15-year legal deadline on confidential information expired in early May, the government also announced it would gradually declassify 253,000 more historical documents, on the condition that all personal details be erased.

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