Bush used his last stop in Europe to once again call on Russia to cooperate over the missile shield. He proposed setting up a panel of joint experts after last week's surprise proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish a joint anti-missile base in Azerbaijan.

Bush also called for quick action on the proposal by United Nations Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's proposal for Kosovo that would see the Albanian-majority Serbian province break away from Belgrade's control.

Support for Bulgarian nurses

Bush also addressed a topic which has deeply worried Bulgarians: the fate of five nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death for allegedly infecting children in Libya with HIV. Bush said the nurses should be released.

"We strongly support the release of the Bulgarian nurses in Libya," Bush told a news conference in Sofia. "It's a high priority for our country."

Bulgarians have expressed hope that Bush's intervention would help bring home the medics.

"Together with the EU, the United States is contributing to a fund to provide assistance to the Libyan children suffering from this disease (HIV/AIDS) and to their families," Bush said.

A tour of "new Europe"

George Bush said he was happy with his eight-day European trip. While the Group of Eight (G8) summit was the main event, the stops before and after were also of great importance.

National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe described Bush's side-trips to the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria as a recognition of the great progress of these young democracies. Bush's "democracy tour" was a thank-you to "allies in the war against terror," he said.

Bush's visit is seen in these countries -- once described as "new Europe" by his former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld -- as proof of their ties to the West and membership in the free world.

The eight-hour stay in Albania had a special meaning: the Islamic country's participation as a loyal ally of the US in the so-called "coalition of the willing" is important psychologically. Bush sees Albania as proof that Islamic societies can be free, but he does warn the tiny Balkan country to proceed with diplomatic reforms and the fight against corruption.

The cheers of "Bushi, Bushi," that greeted Bush in Albania will probably be the emotional highlight of the trip.

Domestic issues awaiting Bush

Domestic issues popped up during Bush's press conference in the Bulgarian capital on Monday.

The president said he stood by his embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales just hours before a rare no-confidence debate in the US Senate over the sacking of federal attorneys.

"They can have their votes of no-confidence but it's not going to make the determination about who serves in my government," Bush said Monday. "This process has been drug out a long time. ... It's political."

He also pledged to work upon his return to Washington to advocate for a sweeping reform of immigration laws. Bush's immigration reform proposal faces stong opposition in Congress.