[A-List] Europe/US rivalry: Bush's very meaningful speech

[Sabri Oncu <soncu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is again a difficult to classify article. As before, I chose
an earlier thread name that sounded most relevant for continuity.
Putting this together with Prodi's call from yesterday might be
useful. I am very much interested to hear comments from our
European friends on this, as I mentioned before.

Best,
Sabri

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Bush reassures Europeans on Iraq war plans
By Gerard Baker and Hugh Williamson in Berlin
Published: May 23 2002 18:31 | Last Updated: May 23 2002 18:31

President George W Bush on Thursday confronted European critics
of his campaign against global terror, saying those who were
reluctant to take aggressive action against states such as Iraq
were guilty of "wishful thinking".

In a speech to the German Bundestag that was interrupted by
heckling from some lawmakers from the former communist Party of
Democratic Socialism, Mr Bush said Europe faced the same threat
as the US from nations developing weapons of mass destruction.

"Call this a strategic challenge; call it, as I do, an axis of
evil; call it by any name you choose but let us speak the truth,"
he said. "If we ignore this threat we invite certain blackmail,
and place millions of our citizens in grave danger."

The US president said Nato would need to meet the new threats
from states developing the capability of delivering biological,
chemical and nuclear weapons. "Each nation must focus on the
military strengths it can bring to this alliance."

Mr Bush thanked Germans and Europeans for the sympathy and
support shown after September 11, and he said those who
exaggerated differences between Europe and the US were playing a
"shallow game".

German chancellor Gerhard Schroder praised Mr Bush's "very
meaningful speech", adding that he valued the US president's
commitment to tackling terrorism not only with military, but also
with diplomatic and other means. He said Mr Bush's vision of
closer co-operation with Russia on nuclear disarmament and Nato
was "historic".

Mr Bush praised the progress towards European integration and the
determination of European governments never to allow war on their
continent again. He said the US and Europe were building a "house
of freedom".

But he insisted the US would confront the threat from Iraq and
other nations that Washington has identified as "rogue states",
such as Iran and North Korea, whatever European and other
governments might think.

"Wishful thinking may bring comfort, but it does not bring
security," he said. "Make no mistake about it, we will and we
must confront this conspiracy against our liberty and against our
lives."

Earlier, in a press conference with Mr Schroder, Mr Bush restated
his promise to consult with US allies before taking action
against Iraq. He also said the US would share with allies
intelligence it obtained about Saddam Hussein's efforts to
develop weapons of mass destruction, a promise welcomed by Mr
Schröder, who said there was no need at this stage to adopt a
stance on strikes against Iraq.

Mr Bush said he had full confidence in the Central Intelligence
Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, despite recent
revelations that the agencies did not fully exchange information
they had about possible terrorist attacks before September 11.

He said the White House would not hand over to congress a CIA
briefing document from last August that identified the risk of
hijackings by al-Qaeda, saying it could jeopardise continuing
intelligence operations.

In his speech, the first by a US president in the rebuilt
Reichstag building, Mr Bush played down the growing tensions
between the US and the European Union over trade issues, saying
the disputes over steel, taxes and agriculture were a small part
of the overall trade relationship and would be dealt with through
the World Trade Organisation.

After his speech, Mr Bush headed for Moscow where he will on
Friday sign a historic treaty with Russia, eliminating two-thirds
of nuclear warheads the two countries have aimed at each other.

He will also set out the terms of a new relationship between the
US and Russia. But on Thursday he acknowledged that the US
remained deeply concerned about Russia's nuclear cooperation with
Iran.

"If Iran gets a weapon of mass destruction, deliverable by a
missile, that's going to be a problem....for all of us, including
Russia."


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