SOFIA, Aug. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States will have to postpone the establishment of military bases in Bulgaria for political reasons in this East European country, local media said on Thursday.

    The Bulgarian government will hardly be able to sign an agreement with the United States before October as it is still in crisis after the general elections on June 25, local media quoted"high-ranking officers in the Defense Ministry" as saying.

    Bulgaria is yet unable to establish a new government and this has delayed its talks with the United States on the preparation and signing of the agreement on US military bases in the country. Meanwhile, it will not be possible for the US government to hand the issue to the US Congress in this fiscal year for including thespending on the bases in the budget, the report said.

    In addition, in Novo Selo, the Bulgarian town which the United States has chosen as the site for its army base, local residents have been protesting against the decision as they are worried thatthe construction will encroach upon their land and interfere with their daily life, the report said.

    US officials have also said they would deal with the base construction "seriously and cautiously," the report said.

    But US military officers also claimed that the plan to establish military bases in Bulgaria is only postponed for about a year, not changed.

    Bulgaria, located on the Balkan Peninsula linking Europe and Asia, is regarded by the United States as an ideal place for the re-deployment of its armed forces in Europe.

    Currently, the United States has chosen five military bases in Bulgaria, including two airports, one army base, one missile base and one naval base. Most of them are located in Bulgaria's easterncoastal areas on the Black Sea. Enditem