Bulgaria Agrees To Host U.S. Troops

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (left) and her Bulgarian counterpart, Ivailo Kalfin, exchange copies of the agreement in Sofia (epa) April 28, 2006 -- The United States and Bulgaria have signed an agreement that will allow U.S. troops to be deployed in this former Warsaw Pact country.

Under the 10-year deal, up to 2,500 U.S. soldiers will be deployed in the Balkan country.

The deal, signed today by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Bulgarian counterpart, Ivailo Kalfin, at a gathering of NATO foreign ministers, is part of a wider redeployment of U.S. forces away from their traditional bases in Western Europe.

(AP)