From Novinite

US Ambassador Dismayed by Roma Living Conditions in Yambol ( from novinite )

The US Ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick was perplexed by the wretched living conditions of the Roma in the town of Yambol.

On Friday, the American Ambassador visited the lawn in front of the notorious apartment building 20 in the "
Rayna Knyaginya"
district of the town which was demolished in September. Currently, most of the Roma citizens who were evicted in September, live on the lawn in front of the demolished building.

"
The conditions in which they live are hardly imaginable,"
Warlick commented on Friday.

He added that the municipality has put efforts into helping the homeless Roma citizens, but that they also should take their own responsibilities.

In September 2010, all Roma who had illegally occupied the apartment building 20.However, as they were asked to move out, they began to break the walls with hammers, in order to remove the metal structures from inside the concrete, and to sell them for scrap.

Subsequently, some of the evicted Roma have appealed before Strasbourg.

"
Such issues exist not only in Bulgaria but in the whole world,"
including the USA, James Warlick said.

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Ambassadors are great at being dismayed or perplexed, but not so good at doing anything about things.