Novinite, Bulgaria
July 20, 2003

Bulgarian goods will enjoy major interest at the American market, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Samuel W. Bodman said Sunday.

The most important thing is to find proper distributors and to specify trade tariffs and quotas, which should be done by the governments of Bulgaria and US, Bodman explained.

When asked whether Iraq would pay back its USD 1,7 B debt to Bulgaria, Bodman said that it was too early to discuss Iraq’s debts not only to Bulgaria but also to all other countries.

In his words the matter with Iraq’s debts is a priority but these debts might be repaid following the revival of the Iraqi economy.

Bodman leads an American delegation of representatives eleven major companies seeking to boost business cooperation with Bulgaria. The visit of the American delegation was arranged February 2003 during the visit of US Commerce Secretary Don Evans.

Several Bulgarian and US companies have already declared their interest for cooperation in the fields of tourism, energy, management as well as oil and gas industry.