On the Bulgarian Trail

The Italian government goes public with explosive accusations

"It was a true act of war in a time of peace," In those extraordinary terms, Italy's Defense Minister Lelio Lagorio last week described new revelations concerning the attempt by a Turkish terrorist to assassinate Pope John Paul II 19 months ago. Lagorio was one of four ministers who, in the space of ten hours, appeared in Rome's ornate, 17th century Parliament to accuse Bulgaria, and by implication the Soviet Union, of standing behind Gunman Mehmet Ali Agca's failed effort.

The normally cautious Italian politicians exuded confidence that they possessed the evidence to incriminate, at the very least, the Bulgarian secret service. Although final proof is still lacking, the government's decision to go public with charges that had until then appeared only in the form of rumors and leaks in Italian newspapers has created one of the worst crises in years between a NATO country and a member of the Warsaw Pact. Foreign Minister Emilio Colombo announced that the Italian government had taken measures to reduce sharply Bulgaria's diplomatic presence in Rome and to make it harder for Bulgarians to enter Italy. He expressed concern that Bulgaria's action, if proved, would have grave consequences for East-West relations. Said he: "It would be difficult and dangerous to travel alone down a road that carries us to a conspiracy so complex and intricate."

The fact that Italian officials would make such explosive accusations aroused intense curiosity among Italy's allies. In the absence of detailed information about the evidence in Italian hands, most Western diplomats and intelligence officers remained cautious. The U.S. refused to make any statement supporting or denying the Italian charges. In Paris French Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson noted that "the Italians are serious people. [Colombo] would not have taken the steps that you know about if there had not been some Bulgarian elements involved."

The Italian charges prompted an emotional response last week from the Soviet Union. Leonid Zamyatin, spokesman for the Central Committee, angrily denied any Soviet or Bulgarian involvement in the papal shooting. He accused Western intelligence agencies and the Western press of conducting "a malicious campaign that has not a grain or iota of truth." Added Zamyatin: "If these insinuations continue, it will be seen as a deliberate campaign of aggravating world tension, an evil-minded campaign to discredit Bulgaria and the Soviet Union in the eyes of Catholics."