‘EU-US vision’ wanted at summit

By Dana Spinant

Date: 20/055/04

THE June EU-US summit should "launch a vision statement on where we want to go on transatlantic relations," Jim Foster, the deputy head of the US mission to the European Union, has said.

Speaking to European Voice, Foster said EU and US leaders should identify "the building blocks for a transatlantic market" at their 25 June summit in Clare, Ireland and should invite a wider dialogue involving NGOs and the business community on how to accomplish this vision.

Foster, who is preparing with his European counterparts the agenda for what is expected to be a landmark summit after a couple of difficult years in EU-US relations, says economic cooperation, which "has been a safety net for the transatlantic relations during this period", will feature high on the talks' agenda. In addition, some "tangible initiatives on non-proliferation [of weapons of mass destruction] and on the fight against AIDS" are set to be launched.

Foster also said that the arms embargo imposed on China since 1989 is an important topic, but added it was premature to say if George W. Bush and counterparts will discuss it in Clare.

Report of comments by Jim Foster, the deputy head of the US Mission to the European Union, previewing the forthcoming EU-US Summit, 25 June 2004.

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