A Bulgarian air force MI-24 combat helicopter strikes during a military
exercise at the military base near village of Koren, some 160 km south
from Sofia on September 27, 2001. Bulgaria, which borders the Black
Sea, Romania, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey, NATO's most
eastern member, is hoping to receive an invitation to join NATO at the
alliance's summit planned for November 2002 in Prague. REUTERS/Oleg
Popov

OP/CLH/