Powell: Bush is fully committed to improving EU-US relations

By Martin Banks

Date: 09/12/04

OUTGOING US Secretary of State Colin Powell says that President George W. Bush is "fully committed" to improving EU-US relations, damaged by disagreement over Iraq, in his second term in office.

But Powell, making the last trip in his post as secretary of state to Europe this week, signalled that Europe also had to play its part in repairing the transatlantic relationship.

"I know that some of President Bush's decisions, particularly over Iraq, have been controversial," he said.

"But, whatever differences there may have been, we are now looking forward and reaching out to Europe. I hope that Europe reaches out to us."

Powell said, in a speech in Brussels hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, that the EU-US relationship could emerge stronger from the "bumps and bruises" it had suffered over Iraq.

The fact that Bush had chosen Europe for the first overseas trip (in February) of his second term was an indication that he wants to work "more closely" with America's European allies, Powell said.

The coordinated diplomatic pressure on Ukraine - described by Powell as "diplomatic stereo" - which helped to avert a crisis, was hailed as evidence of restored cooperation.

Powell, considered the Bush administration's strongest champion of multilateralism, also cited the Ukraine as an example of the sort of "democratic change" that the US and its allies were trying to bring about in Iraq.

In a reference to next month's planned elections in Iraq and the re-run elections in Ukraine on 26 December, he said: "The Ukrainian people are coming together to decide their own fate and, hopefully, the same will happen in Iraq."

Powell also welcomed the reforms undertaken by Turkey in its bid to join the EU.

"Turkish EU membership is a matter for the EU but when you look at how far Turkey has moved and progressed in recent years you can see that it has done a good job."

Powell will be replaced by Condoleezza Rice in January.

Today (9 December) he is to attend a meeting of NATO's North Atlantic Council and tomorrow he will participate in an EU-US meeting at The Hague.

On his last official journey to Europe as US Secretary of State, Colin Powell said that US President George W. Bush was 'fully committed' to improving EU-US relations.