Defense Minister Vesselin Bliznakov's comments followed the signing in Bucharest of a US-Romanian agreement to establish permanent US military bases in the country.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the agreement with Romania was "a good thing for Romania. It's a good thing for the United States."

"Clearly, it's helpful to all countries to have multiple opportunities," he said at a press conference after meeting with southeastern European defense ministers.

Asked about the possibility of similar access to bases in Bulgaria, Rumsfeld deferred to Bliznakov, who said talks with the United States were going "very well".

"We have conducted two rounds of the talks and we expect, in March at the latest, to conclude the formal side of the negotiations," he said, speaking through an interpreter.

He said Bulgaria wanted an agreement because the Bulgarian military would benefit from joint training, and the US military presence would benefit the economy as well.

Rumsfeld stressed, however, that the United States had no intention of establishing big bases in eastern Europe like those it has maintained in Germany since the end of World War II.

"That image is not what we are talking about," he said. "We've even tried to change the language. And we use phrases like forward operating sites and forward operating locations."

"We need today to be agile. We need to be flexible. And the image that comes with the word 'base,' I think is somewhat misleading for people," he said.

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