Envoy predicts lower American hostility towards EU post-election

By David Cronin

Date: 02/09/04

LESS antagonism towards Europe is likely from the US government regardless of who wins the November presidential election, the European Commission's Washington envoy has said.

Günter Burghardt predicted that Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz would not wield such a dominant influence if George W. Bush secures a second term in the White House.

"It is not correct to say there will be no change regardless of which administration is in power," Burghardt told European Voice. "We have to understand that nobody wants to hear the kind of Rumsfeld/Wolfowitz hardline language again - the talk of 'one part of history was written by others, the rest of history will be written by us'. It upsets people."

Last year Rumsfeld raised hackles across the political spectrum in the EU for dividing countries that opposed and supported the war in Iraq into "old" and "new" Europe. Wolfowitz, meanwhile, is widely considered a leading neo-conservative in the Bush administration for his deep mistrust of the UN and strident advocacy of using force to assert American power.

"The neo-conservative foreign policy school has had a kind of missionary zeal; it believes its agenda is one blessed by divine providence," added Burghardt. "This reborn Christian element can always be found in any mix of American policy articulation but it has never been there in such a highly concentrated form before."

The Democrats' presidential hopeful John Kerry would not "surround himself with neo-conservatives in this highly concentrated way", according to Burghardt. "And a second Bush administration might not want to do so either. It might want to take a turn by reaching out to permanent alliances."

However, he said there will be no change in the "kind of wishlist" any American government would have towards Europe. "The first question for a Kerry administration will not be "what kind of policies and people around me will help me get more support from the international community?" The first question will always be 'what's best for America?'"

Appearing before the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee in July, Burghardt ruled out the prospect of any cuts in America's $500 billion (€416 billion) annual security and defence expenditure.

Asked if he thought some of this money - which amounts to 5% of the US gross domestic product - could be better used in fighting global poverty, he said: "It is up to each partner to determine the tool box. But when some people see the hammer as the most important element in the toolbox, we would say that not every problem is a nail."

An EU official for more than 30 years, Burghardt is to step down from his ambassadorial post in the coming months. He will be replaced by former taoiseach (Irish prime minister) John Bruton

Although Bruton has been appointed by Romano Prodi's Commission, Burghardt urged the EU executive to wait until José Manuel Barroso takes over from Prodi on 1 November before arranging for the new ambassador to present his credentials to the US president.

"No ambassador, except the Saudi ambassador, has direct access to the Oval Office at a time of his own choosing. One of the occasions, though, when you do have a chance for a one-on-one with the president is when you are presenting your credentials. That is why I think it's immensely important that the new ambassador does so on behalf of the new [Commission] president."

Interview with the EU's envoy to the US, Günter Burghardt, on the prospects of EU-US relations after the 2004 elections.