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| Tuesday, 22 February 2005 |
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Bush pushes Europe to back Mideast democracy BRUSSELS, Monday (Reuters) U.S. President George W. Bush sought on Monday to win over Europeans critical of the Iraq war to a wider campaign for Middle East democracy, pledging to work for Israeli-Palestinian peace and assailing Syria and Iran. In a keynote speech in Brussels, home of the European Union and NATO, Bush pledged on the first day of a European tour to work in partnership with a united Europe in implicit contrast to the much-criticised go-it-alone thrust of his first term. He drew mainly subdued applause from a hand-picked audience in the 19th century Concert Noble hall, except when he called for a strong Europe, which drew a resounding ovation. Bush's blunt warnings to Syria to get out of Lebanon and to Iran to end its nuclear ambitions - and to both to stop what he called their support for terrorism - struck a tough tone that may alarm European publics which strongly opposed the Iraq war. "Just as the Syrian regime must take stronger action to stop those who support violence and subversion in Iraq and must end its support for terrorist groups seeking to destroy the hope of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Syria must also end its occupation of Lebanon," he said. He praised diplomatic efforts by Britain, France and Germany to persuade Iran to end nuclear enrichment that could enable it to build a bomb but offered no U.S. incentive to Tehran to comply, as European leaders have sought. Instead, he renewed a veiled threat of military action, saying "no option can be permanently taken off the table". Bush sought to reach out to European leaders who had opposed his Iraq war policy, playing down their severe rifts as a "temporary debate" and "passing disagreement of governments". He will spend much of his five days in Europe meeting anti-war leaders, beginning with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and French President Jacques Chirac in Brussels on Monday, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Germany on Wednesday and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Slovakia on Thursday. |
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