BULGARIA READY TO ALLOT MILITARY BASES TO NATO TROOPS








SOFIA, MARCH 2, 2001. /RIA-NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT YURI KOVALENKO/. President of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov does not rule out that Bulgaria may reach an agreement with NATO on military bases and transit of the Alliance's troops via that country's territory. If the sides finally approve an appropriate memorandum, the agreement will be signed already during Stoyanov's visit to Brussels next week.


	Observers say that Bulgaria will be the first candidacy for NATO membership with which the Alliance will conclude such agreement. According to an existing Bulgaria-NATO agreement, NATO can temporarily station on or transit via Bulgaria its troops involved in peacekeeping operations as part of KFOR forces on the territory of former Yugoslavia.