US President George Bush has told the 10countries hoping to join Nato that enlarging the alliance towards the east would help the international campaign against terrorism.

Applicants

Albania Bulgaria Croatia Estonia Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Romania Slovakia Slovenia

"We seek a new Europe that has buried its historic tensions and is prepared to meet global challenges beyond Europe's borders," the president told heads of government in a video address to the summit in the Latvian capital of Riga.

Not all of the 10 countries, known as the Vilnius Group, are seen as having an equal chance of succeeding with their application.

It is thought that the three Baltic nations, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as Slovenia, are the most likely candidates.

Stability key

The Riga summit has styled itself "the bridge to Prague", a reference to its importance as a staging post to the Nato summit in November, where the applicant countries will find out whether or not their bids have been successful.

Nato sees expansion as the key to pushing security further east.

It demands that new members are able to function militarily within the alliance, and wants them to share the same democratic values as existing members.

It is particularly concerned about issues such as corruption, political stability and public support for Nato.

The contributions made by Romania and Bulgaria to the US led war on terror, and their strategic position in South-eastern Europe are believed to have increased their chances of entry.

But others, such as Albania and Macedonia, have serious problems with domestic and regional instability to contend with.