Controversy between the United States and Russia about the planned US anti-missile defence shield over Central and Eastern Europe will be one of the dominant themes during US president George Bush’s visit to Bulgaria.

Nato member Bulgaria, which will not be covered by the shield, wants the same level of security as nearby states that will be involved in the scheme, which the US says is intended as protection against a potential threat from Iran.

Bush’s June 10 and 11 visit will include meetings with his host, President Georgi Purvanov, and Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, among others.

Other security issues on the agenda include Bulgaria’s military modernisation.

Bush will reiterate US support for the Bulgarian medics facing the death penalty in Libya.

Bulgaria will continue to press for the US to scrap the requirement for Bulgarians to have visas to enter the US. In an interview broadcast on Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on June 1, Bush described this as a “tough issue” but said that he was working to come up with a solution.

Asked by BNT what Bulgaria would get in return for its military bases deal with the US, Bush said: “I don’t think friends really kind of measure decision-making on a quid pro quo basis”. On Iraq, Bush expressed his condolences to the families of Bulgarian military personnel who had died there, but defended his decisions.

He told BNT: “I bring a spirit of friendship to Bulgaria and its people”.

Economic co-operation will be on the agenda, with high-ranking US embassy sources saying that there would be an announcement about an entrepreneurship and business leadership training scheme.

About 3500 police will provide security in Sofia during the visit. There will be two security zones, one between Vitosha, Patriarch Evtimii, Vassil Levski, Dondoukov, and Maria Lousia boulevards. Vehicle and pedestrian access will be restricted. Access to areas near the President’s office building, the Cabinet office, the Archeological Museum, and Alexander Nevski cathedral will be limited as of 6pm on June 9. Only those living in these areas will be admitted if providing a document proving their residency.

The second security zone will be Sofia Airport, and the districts of Boyana, Studentski Grad, Mladost and Dragalevtsi, where cars will be periodically stopped by police.

Public transport will work as normal, with the exception that trams will not stop in front of the Sheraton Hotel. One anti-globalisation meeting has been scheduled for June 9 at 5pm. Before that, between 10am and 11am, there will be a rally starting from the National Palace of Culture and ending at the National Theatre Ivan Vazov.