Bush: Visa System "Stuck in the Past"

Politics | June 11, 2007, Monday // 00:00
Bulgaria: Bush: Visa System "Stuck in the Past" Bush hopes to push through the bill to lift visa restrictions before the end of his term in 2008 and confidently invited reporters to the signing of the bill. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (Sofia Photo Agency)

George Bush reiterated his support for reforming the visa system to allow citizens of America's eastern European allies to travel without restrictions to the US.

The current system is "stuck in the past", Bush told reporters in Sofia, adding that would work with the Congress to get it done.

"It could be reformed to work better for the citizens of this country and I told the president [Parvanov] that I will continue to work with Congress to resolve the issue," he said.

The US President thanked his Bulgarian counterpart, Georgi Parvanov, for Bulgaria's support in Afghanistan and Iraq, adding that he hoped America would understand it was in its own interest to treat other nations fairly and with respect.

Despite their support for the US war on terror, eastern European countries, Bulgaria among them, have been frustrated in their quest to win equal treatment to western European countries.

"It's going to require leadership from the Democrat leaders in the Senate, and it's going to require me staying engaged and working with Republicans who want a bill," said Bush, before adding that he was confident he would see the reporters at the signing of the bill.

For his part, Parvanov said Bulgaria would fulfill its security commitments and expressed his hope that visa regime would be lifted in the near future.

Bush and Parvanov met on Monday morning in Sofia, the last leg of the week-long European tour that took the US president to the G8 summit in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy and Albania.

His agenda also includes a meeting with Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and a round-table discussion with students from the American University in Bulgaria.

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