An air of secrecy surrounds the arrival of thousands of US military personnel at the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta in preparation for a war on Iraq

Ten giant Hercules C-130 transport aircraft and four H-53 helicopters can be seen parked at a military airbase adjacent to the local civilian airport. A hundred metres away, freshly painted signs warn it is a "military zone". Police cars patrol watchfully. Little else of the new airbase is visible from the outside and both the US and Romanian authorities have retreated behind the need for military secrecy, Nobody is saying very much about what goes on in there. Constanta lies across the Bls. Helmeted guards in flak jackets, carrying assault rifles, keep a tight eye on all approaches. Prominent among these watering holes is the prestigious Rex Hotel, once residence of former Romanian King Carol II, and now a freshly renovated five-star hotel. A Romanian soldier stops civilians arrival with the information: "You can't come in here, even for a coffee." Despite the new restrictions on access to their hostelries, the locals are nevertheless highly pleased at the US invasion. Romania - once an ally of the Soviet Union - and six other east European countries were invited last November to join the transatlantic military alliance.