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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
The parliament of Bulgaria, a US ally in the war against Iraq, "supports the redeployment of US troops on foreign bases and approves the ongoing consultations on the subject between the United States and Bulgaria," said a statement, adopted by 200 votes to three.
It further supports "the United States' reexamination of its military deployment abroad, in line with the new security situation on the ground, and as part of the transformation and adaptation of NATO," the text said.
A US undersecretary of state for defence, Douglas Feith, last week consulted several countries including Bulgaria about the deployment of US forces on their soil, with detailed negotiations due to take place at a later stage.
The United States indicated last month that it was looking for several small, flexible bases for possible deployment of its forces in Europe.
US experts have already visited several sites in Bulgaria, at Koren and Bezmer in the southeast, Novo Selo in the east, Graf Ignatievo near Plovdiv in the south.
Bulgaria is considered a loyal ally of the United States, and currently has 470 soldiers serving with a multinational force operating under Polish command in central and southern Iraq.
Meanwhile, a senior Russian official indicated this week that Moscow would not take kindly to the possible deployment of US forces on Bulgarian soil.
Sergei Mironov, the president of Russia's Federation Council -- the upper house of parliament -- said during a visit to Sofia on Wednesday that his country "was not very enthusiastic" about such a move.