SOFIA, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Bulgaria denied the existence of secret US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) jails on its soil, local media reported on Friday.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Dimitar Tsanchev was quoted as saying there exist no foreign bases on the soil of Bulgaria, including the so-called CIA jails.

    The clarification came as a response to a Washington Post newspaper story on Wednesday, which said that the CIA set up a covert prison network spanning eight countries as part of the US-declared war on terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.

    "The secret facility is part of a covert prison system set up by the CIA nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries, including Thailand, Afghanistan and several democracies in Eastern Europe, as well as a small center at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba," the Washington Post said, citing current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents.

    The US administration however has declined to confirm or deny the authenticity of the story.

    Meanwhile, a European Commission spokesman said on Friday that the European Union (EU) would look into the report and try to find out the truth on a technical basis.

    The spokesman stressed that if the so-called facilities were found in Bulgaria or Romania -- EU candidates -- their accession process could be delayed, for such illegal facilities would be against standards set for EU membership.

    So far, Romania, Poland, Hungry, Lithuania and Thailand have also denied the presence of secret CIA prisons on their territory. Enditem