BRUSSELS, Belgium – President Bush and his European counterparts are sounding pleasant notes as they prepare to meet this week, but whether that translates to new policies remains to be seen.
As Bush landed Sunday night in Belgium, he and his hosts remained at odds on items expected to dominate their talks over the next two days, including how to deal with Iranian nukes, possible European arms sales to China, and international efforts against global warming.
Still, in what aides called a major speech to be given today, Bush plans to call the American-European relationship “the main pillar of our security in a new century.”
“No temporary debate, no passing disagreement of governments, no power on earth, will ever divide us,” Bush’s prepared remarks said.
European officials, realizing they have to work with Bush for another four years, have expressed similar sentiments.
“America needs Europe, and Europe needs America, and by working together we can make the world a better one,” European Commission President Jose M. Barroso said.
Of course, during his weekend radio address, Bush said he planned to lobby European leaders to reduce trade barriers to American farm products; Europeans will no doubt point out that the United States provides domestic subsidies to its farmers.
“The political leaders are trying to make the best of the situation,” said Walter Russell Mead, senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations. “But I don’t see much changing.”
Bush will spend the next two days meeting with officials from NATO and the European Union, as well as the leaders of individual countries. Monday’s schedule includes dinner with perhaps Bush’s most outspoken European critic, French President Jacques Chirac.
Protesters have also journeyed to Brussels, Belgium, for Bush’s visit.
About 1,000 mostly young people gathered outside Brussels’ 19th century stock exchange building on Sunday to denounce the American president for the war in Iraq and his opposition to the Kyoto global warming agreement. A sign stretched across the entrance gate read “President Bush: The World Holds You Accountable.”
Bush plans to seek more international help in Iraq, especially in light of the recent elections there, saying that a new democracy “will fight terror, be a beacon of freedom, and be a source of true stability in the region.”
But Iraq’s neighbor, Iran, might well take a high profile during Bush’s week, which includes visits to Germany and the Slovak Republic.
Three EU members – Great Britain, France and Germany – are negotiating with the Iranian government to end its nuclear program.
Some Europeans are urging the United States to join those talks. Others want the Americans to help forge a deal by pledging financial assistance to Iran, or by pledging not to seek regime change by force.
Don’t expect Bush to agree to any of those requests this week, analysts said.
Iran is also expected to play a major role in Bush’s meeting Thursday in the Slovak Republic with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Saying that he does not believe Iran has a nuclear weapons program, Putin is planning to sell nuclear fuel to a Russian-built plant in Iran.
While Bush has challenged Iran’s – and North Korea’s – nuclear ambitions, the president has in recent days emphasized diplomacy, seeking to allay European fears that another invasion is imminent.
Bush also plans to make his strongest endorsement of the European Union, saying in his prepared remarks that “America supports a strong Europe because we need a strong partner in the hard work of advancing freedom in the world.”
In the meantime, however, the Bush administration wants the European Union to maintain its arms embargo against China, though many officials expect it to be lifted this summer.
Bush’s visit begins less than a week after the Kyoto global warming agreement took effect, without United States participation. European officials hope the United States will reconsider its objections to the treaty.
Bush and others said tough new restrictions on carbon dioxide would have damaged the American economy; they also note that two huge nations, India and China, are not bound by the Kyoto treaty.
Bush and his aides said he plans to discuss alternatives to Kyoto, including an American-led effort to restrict methane emissions.
U.S. officials are also skeptical of the Europe-based International Criminal Court and question the desire of some European Union members to have the court conduct war crimes trials in the Sudanese region of Darfur. Some EU officials see Sudan as an ideal test for the international law-making body.
The Europeans, meanwhile, want to see how the Bush administration plans to cut its trade and budget deficits, saying the weak dollar is undercutting the economies of other countries.
Still, the new optimism in American-European relations could yield results, analysts said.
Nancy Soderberg, a former Bill Clinton foreign policy adviser, said her sense is that the Bush administration realized it was too aggressive in the first term, and now “they have a chance to get it right.”
“They have an opportunity to reshape the international community in a very dramatic way,” said Soderberg, author of “The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might.” “They can also screw it up.”
She added: “At this point it’s all rhetoric. It’s very hard to tell whether it’s real yet.”
Discussing the global friction last week, Bush cited what he called different reactions to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
While Europe saw it as more of “a passing terrible moment,” Bush said, the attacks “caused us to change our foreign policy,” creating misunderstandings.
Bush said he hopes to convince European leaders, “as we move beyond the differences of the past, that we can work a lot together to achieve big objectives.”
European officials such as Wolfgang Ischinger, the German ambassador to the United States, said they hope to get Bush to see things their way.
“I’m not willing to give up hope that at some point the changed style can lead to changed substance,” Ischinger said.
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(Dallas Morning News correspondent Richard Whittle in Washington contributed to this report.)
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AP-NY-02-20-05 2108EST
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