BULGARIA OPPOSES NATO ENLARGEMENT, WELCOMES RUSSIAN PIPELINE.

Bulgarian deputy prime minister Rumen Gechev told a Moscowpress conference June 26 that his country could not afford the$20 billion it would cost to shift to NATO standards and thuswould restore its long-standing military ties with Russia andRussian military industry, Interfax reported. In other comments,Gechev endorsed Moscow’s plan to build a pipeline via Russia,Bulgaria and Greece. That route will give Moscow a major leverover both Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan and allow oilto flow to the West without passing through Turkey’s straits.From Moscow’s perspective, this route has an additional virtue:it will further exacerbate relations between two NATO countries:Greece through which the oil will flow and Turkey through whichit won’t.

Outraged Citizens Beat Udmurt City Mayor.