Bulgaria PM Caught in Lie about CIA Head's Visit

handout photograph released on 07 June 2012 by the Bulgarian Government Press Office showing US Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) David Petraeus (R) talking to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov during their meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria

CIA Director David Petraeus did not visit Bulgaria "as a personal guest" to Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov in June 2012, as Borisov himself had claimed.

Atn the end of May large-circulation German paper Tageszeitung came out with a story claiming that US diplomatic cables linking Borisov with organized crime, as published by Wikileaks, have CIA research as their basis.

In an interview for the Bulgarian Biograph magazine at the end of June, Borisov reacted to the story by saying:

"And all that happened while the CIA's head was my personal guest! That guy's attitude is clear - he was here for three days in a friendly atmosphere in Sofia to rest and take a break."

Borisov added he and CIA director David Petraeus jointly wrote the US embassy in Sofia's statement following Petraeus's visit to Sofia June 5-7 2012.

Suspicious of the Prime Minister's account of the CIA Director's visit to Sofia, IT expert Veni Markovski asked the US Embassy in Bulgara whether Petraeus was indeed a "personal guest" to Borisov in June.

"Mr. Borissov also claims that Mr. Petraeus has been for three days in Sofia in order to have some time to rest. Would you mind making some comments, as this sounds not quite in accordance with what the CIA Directors usually do?" Markovski wrote.

"The CIA Director was in Bulgaria on an official visit which the Embassy supported from June 5-7, 2012," the Embassy answered, as cited by Markovksi's Facebook page.

"Beyond the press release, we aren't able to provide any further information about the Director's visit as we do not discuss intelligence matters."

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