SOFIA, Bulgaria -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spent five hours in Sofia on Wednesday (July 9th) meeting with senior government officials and receiving the highest Bulgarian state honour, the Stara Planina, for her role in the release of the five Bulgarian medics and Palestinian doctor in Libya last year. At a meeting with Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin, Rice discussed the prospect of expanding energy co-operation between the US and Bulgaria. Kalfin told NTV television after the meeting that the Nabucco natural gas pipeline was a major point on the agenda.

Other issues discussed include the elimination of the visa requirement for Bulgarian tourists and businesspeople making short visits to the United States. (Reuters, BTA, BNR, Focus - 09/07/08)