International Herald Tribune reported on classified file opening in Bulgaria and the manner in which this process would reveal more information on past developments in the country.

An article named Bulgaria’s Painful Past Still Hidden, But For How Long begins with the statement of Bulgarian journalist Georgi Koritarov that he was working for a foreign counter-intelligence office during communist times.

The works of Bulgaria’s State Security and the affairs of the communist regime gained popularity after Interior Minister Roumen Petkov announced his ministry would work on the de-classification of previously secret information.

Opposition said the opening of files was selective and served political interests.

Bulgaria has no official policy on what should be done with information about the communist rule in the country and the work of the former intelligence unit, IHT reported.

Officials in the country argue whether the current moment is the best for the opening of classified files. A number of state officials said the timing was wrong and past issues should be forgotten.

Bulgaria hopes to join the EU in January 2007, IHT reported.

IHT said countries that had totalitarian regimes in the past face problems in dealing with the heritage of these regimes. Yet, Bulgarian intellectuals said that without knowing the past, people in the country could not move forward.