Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov should be credited for his attempts to solve the Spaska Mitrova case, Krassimir Uzunov, owner of Bulgarian news agency Focus was quoted by Focus as saying.

Uzunov made his comments on August 18 2009, only hours after it was announced that Purvanov had a telephone conversation with his Macedonian counterpart in which the two were said to have discussed the Mitrova case.

Mitrova is a Macedonian citizen and holder of a Bulgarian passport, who has been convicted to three months in prison for not allowing her former husband to visit their child, despite orders from Macedonian institutions to do so.

The case has been at the centre of a diplomatic row between the two countries, in which the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry in early August demanded an explanation from the Macedonian government. The Macedonian reply two days later was that both countries should "not allow citizenship and passports to be abused as an alibi in divorce issues".

Bulgarian Minister without portfolio, with a special responsibility for Bulgarians abroad, Bozhidar Dimitrov, has said Bulgaria would consider vetoing Macedonia's European Union and Nato accessions.

"We really must consistently, reasonably, objectively, in view of the resources available to our country, in view of what we owe to generations of Bulgarians before us, defend our national interest, defend the rights of Bulgarians in Macedonia," Focus news agency quoted its owner Uzunov as saying.

Focus news agency quoted Darko Angelov, chief secretary to Macedonian president Gjorge Ivanov, as saying in an interview with Macedonian daily Utrisnki Vesnik that Mitrova's lawyers had made mistakes, but that the case was clear from a legal point of view.
"Our advice was that Mitrova's lawyer would ask the prison to give Spaska Mitrova a conditional discharge because she has a small child," Angelov was quoted as saying.

Asked whether Macedonian president Ivanov would consider a pardon, Angelov was quoted as saying that the office would consider the request, if submitted, like any other.

According to Focus news agency, Bulgarian President Purvanov had tried to mediate in the Mitrova case for two weeks. The idea to pardon Mitrova had been dropped as the procedure would take too long. The current option being discussed was a release on humanitarian grounds, as allowed by Macedonian laws.

On August 14, Bulgarian broadcaster BGNes said former Bulgarian president Petar Stojanov had also called Macedonian president Ivanov to discuss the case.