Bulgaria to press Bush on shield

US President George W Bush is in Bulgaria for talks expected to focus on American plans to build a missile defence shield in Europe.

Bulgaria's government is concerned it may be left out of the plan, which would include facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The issue has contributed to raised tensions between the US and Russia.

Bulgaria also hopes to discuss five nurses sentenced to death in Libya on charges of infecting children with HIV.

The issue of Kosovo, a key regional concern and the focus of talks in neighbouring Albania on Sunday, will also be on the agenda.

Mr Bush's visit to Sofia is the final leg of his eight-day European tour.

The tour has taken the US president to the summit of G8 leaders in Germany, as well as the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy and Albania.

Defence fears

During formal talks with Bulgarian President Georgy Parvanov and Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, Mr Bush is expected to thank Bulgaria for its support in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More than 3,000 US troops are due to start arriving at a new base in Bulgaria in September, as part of a US policy to move many of its European forces closer to the Middle East.

The former Communist bloc nation joined Nato in 2004, and became a member of the European Union this year.

But Bulgaria remains concerned that despite its loyalty, much of the country would fall outside the range of the US missile shield.

However, talks to include Bulgaria in the missile defence plans will only inflame tensions with nearby Russia, which views the system as a threat and a challenge to its influence in the region, says the BBC's Jonathan Beale.

Russia opposes the plan, which it regards as a threat, and President Vladimir Putin has threatened to point Russian missiles at Europe in response.

The US says its missile shield is not directed at Russia, but at what it considers "rogue states" such as Iran.

'Distinguished guest'

On Sunday, Mr Bush received a hero's welcome in Albania, a staunch ally in his country's "war on terror".

He met Albanian soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and reiterated his support for the UN's plan for Kosovo's independence from Serbia.

He said it was time to "get moving" on Kosovo despite opposition from Russia.

In Kosovo, Prime Minister Agim Ceku welcomed Mr Bush's support. In Belgrade, however, a spokesman for Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's party said his government would "reject any such proclamation".

The G8 failed to reach consensus on the issue this week, with strong opposition from Russia to the independence blueprint laid out by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in April.