Post by maruf on Feb 20, 2005 8:31:41 GMT -5
Bush to Europe to Mend Fences, Confront Problems
Sun Feb 20, 2005 07:36 AM ET
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush went to Europe on Sunday on a five-day trip aimed at fostering a friendly atmosphere early in his second term and addressing questions on how to deal with Iran, Syria and the future of NATO.
Bush left for Brussels to meet with European Union and NATO leaders. He will give a speech on Monday setting the tone for his visit, underscoring his bedrock belief that spreading freedom will make the world more peaceful.
He will offer a sweetener to governments upset by his abrupt withdrawal from the Kyoto treaty in 2001 by saying climate change is a problem and offering to work together on new technologies.
He will seek a fresh start in relations with French President Jacques Chirac by meeting him at a working dinner, and will go to Mainz, Germany, on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Chirac and Schroeder led European opposition to the Iraq war but officials on both sides of the Atlantic see an intense period of rapprochement under way so they can work together on Iraq's reconstruction and other urgent priorities.
"America and Europe are the pillars of the free world. We share the same belief in freedom and the rights of every individual, and we are working together across the globe to advance our common interest and common values," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.
Bush will end his trip in Bratislava, Slovakia, where he will praise the country's democracy and will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and raise U.S. concerns Putin is backsliding on Russian democracy and centralizing power.
"He's done some things that has concerned people," Bush told Slovak state television.
Europe and the United States appeared united on the need to put pressure on Syria after the targeted killing last Monday of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria denies involvement in the death but Washington suspects it had a role and is pressing Syria to remove its troops from Lebanon.
DIVISIONS ON IRAN
The two sides are more divided on the debate over Iran's nuclear program, which oil-rich Tehran insists is for generating electricity but which Washington believes is aimed at building a nuclear weapon.
The European Union, led by France, Germany and Britain, has offered trade and political benefits if Iran gives up uranium enrichment, and believes it would bolster the EU's leverage if the United States got involved in the bargaining.
The United States supports the EU effort and is closely monitoring the talks with an eye toward bringing the case to the U.N. Security Council and asking for sanctions if the EU talks fail. European diplomats would prefer resolving the issue without taking it to the Security Council.
They hope to convince Bush to take a bigger role in the negotiations with Iran.
Bush said on Friday the Iranians must hear Europe and the United States speak with one voice. He said he was committed to a diplomatic outcome but could not rule out a military option.
"First of all, you never want a president to say never, but military action is certainly not, is never the president's first choice," Bush told Belgium's VRT television.
The future of the NATO alliance and trans-Atlantic relations will provide an important touchstone for discussions.
Bush took exception to Schroeder's recent comment that NATO was no longer "the primary venue" for trans-Atlantic dialogue. He also is questioning Chirac's call for a united Europe to act as a counterbalance to the powerful United States.
Sun Feb 20, 2005 07:36 AM ET
By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush went to Europe on Sunday on a five-day trip aimed at fostering a friendly atmosphere early in his second term and addressing questions on how to deal with Iran, Syria and the future of NATO.
Bush left for Brussels to meet with European Union and NATO leaders. He will give a speech on Monday setting the tone for his visit, underscoring his bedrock belief that spreading freedom will make the world more peaceful.
He will offer a sweetener to governments upset by his abrupt withdrawal from the Kyoto treaty in 2001 by saying climate change is a problem and offering to work together on new technologies.
He will seek a fresh start in relations with French President Jacques Chirac by meeting him at a working dinner, and will go to Mainz, Germany, on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Chirac and Schroeder led European opposition to the Iraq war but officials on both sides of the Atlantic see an intense period of rapprochement under way so they can work together on Iraq's reconstruction and other urgent priorities.
"America and Europe are the pillars of the free world. We share the same belief in freedom and the rights of every individual, and we are working together across the globe to advance our common interest and common values," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.
Bush will end his trip in Bratislava, Slovakia, where he will praise the country's democracy and will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and raise U.S. concerns Putin is backsliding on Russian democracy and centralizing power.
"He's done some things that has concerned people," Bush told Slovak state television.
Europe and the United States appeared united on the need to put pressure on Syria after the targeted killing last Monday of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria denies involvement in the death but Washington suspects it had a role and is pressing Syria to remove its troops from Lebanon.
DIVISIONS ON IRAN
The two sides are more divided on the debate over Iran's nuclear program, which oil-rich Tehran insists is for generating electricity but which Washington believes is aimed at building a nuclear weapon.
The European Union, led by France, Germany and Britain, has offered trade and political benefits if Iran gives up uranium enrichment, and believes it would bolster the EU's leverage if the United States got involved in the bargaining.
The United States supports the EU effort and is closely monitoring the talks with an eye toward bringing the case to the U.N. Security Council and asking for sanctions if the EU talks fail. European diplomats would prefer resolving the issue without taking it to the Security Council.
They hope to convince Bush to take a bigger role in the negotiations with Iran.
Bush said on Friday the Iranians must hear Europe and the United States speak with one voice. He said he was committed to a diplomatic outcome but could not rule out a military option.
"First of all, you never want a president to say never, but military action is certainly not, is never the president's first choice," Bush told Belgium's VRT television.
The future of the NATO alliance and trans-Atlantic relations will provide an important touchstone for discussions.
Bush took exception to Schroeder's recent comment that NATO was no longer "the primary venue" for trans-Atlantic dialogue. He also is questioning Chirac's call for a united Europe to act as a counterbalance to the powerful United States.