Missile defences in Bulgaria agenda for Bush

US President George Bush today faced new questions about US plans to build a Europe-based missile defence system from Bulgarian leaders, who believe their loyalty in Iraq should be rewarded with the protection of the rocket shield.

The final portion of Mr Bush’s European trip was scheduled as a two-day stay in the Balkans, eight hours in Albania yesterday followed by an overnight and a day of events today in Bulgaria’s capital.

After moving through the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Italy on an eight-day trip, Mr Bush was to be back in the White House by this evening.

Tiny, impoverished Albania gave Bush a hero’s welcome yesterday. Its leaders gushed over the president, the first to visit their country, and its people manhandled him in excitement.

In Sofia, thousands of Bulgarians – many waving small American flags – lined the cobblestone main street through Nevsky Square as an honour guard played both countries’ national anthems. Mr Bush greeted Bulgarian soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then worked the crowd, reaching in to shake hands as the locals beamed and cheered.

Bulgaria, situated to the east of Albania on the Black Sea, also is a staunch ally where Mr Bush is more popular than in many other parts of the world. The two stops gave an upbeat ending to a trip that featured huge protests at a summit in Germany of industrialised nations and in Rome.

However, Bulgaria’s leaders have concerns about US plans for a new rocket shield. For one thing, the defence system is not intended to cover south-eastern parts of Europe such as Bulgaria. Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin said his government hopes to change this.

“Our wish is not to find ourselves in a zone of unequal security,” Mr Kalfin said.

Another worry comes from the tensions the proposed shield have created between the United States and Russia. Moscow fiercely opposes the plan, saying that placing it in the Czech Republic and Poland means the shield is aimed at Russia.

The United States says no – the shield is aimed at Iran, in case it develops nuclear weapons.

The dispute has elicited tough and threatening rhetoric from the Kremlin. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Mr Bush with a substitute plan, in which an existing Russian-operated radar station in Azerbaijan would be used instead of a new one in the Czech Republic. Mr Putin said he would drop his objections if Mr Bush agreed to change his plan; the president said only that they would discuss it.