Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- {Not to give the Sofia clique of King Simeon the opportunity of joining the Bombers Club might appear selfish of McCain.] "He established that Bulgaria's commitment to NATO membership remained a top priority and the government would speed up necessary reforms." Sofia Echo August 31, 2001 Senator brings NATO hope By Annie Rusinova Bulgaria's chances of joining NATO are very good even though a lot more has to be done, said U.S. Senator John McCain on Monday. Senator McCain arrived for a two-day official visit to Bulgaria on Sunday, at the invitation of President Petar Stoyanov. The president awarded him with the Stara Planina Order First Class for his contribution to the promotion and development of Bulgarian-U.S. relations and for his consistent support of Bulgaria's bid for NATO membership. He is the first U.S. senator to be awarded with the highest Bulgarian order. McCain has received almost all the U.S. awards for his public service and political career, said Stoyanov at the presentation ceremony. During his 22-year service as a pilot in the U.S. Navy he fought in the Vietnam War and was a prisoner of war for several years after his plane was shot down. Tom Cruise's character in the movie Born on the 4th of July was modelled on McCain. The U.S. senator said he enjoyed the movie and added jokingly that he wished he looked more like Tom Cruise. In 1997, Time magazine declared Senator John McCain one of the 25 most influential people in the U.S. "Without any doubt, I place Senator John McCain among Bulgaria's most loyal friends for his understanding of the difficulties Bulgaria faced after the collapse of communism and throughout all crises in the former Yugoslavia; for understanding that Bulgaria must be a member of the Euro-Atlantic family; and finally for his faith that Bulgaria will ultimately fulfill this mission," said Stoyanov. McCain said tha democratic Bulgaria has shown itself to be a true friend of the U.S. and a partner of NATO in its efforts to establish lasting peace in the Balkans. He assed that the majority of the U.S. Congress was supportive of Bulgaria's entry into NATO. McCain also said he was convinced that much closer relations would be established between Bulgaria and the U.S. after Bulgaria joined NATO. He recommended that the Bulgarian Army should reduce its size with the aim of becoming a smaller but more efficient professional army. McCain held talks on Monday with Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, Foreign Minister Solomon Passi and Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov. He established that Bulgaria's commitment to NATO membership remained a top priority and the government would speed up necessary reforms. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
