Analysis: Bush trip ends, but not all Euros are won over

Fri Feb 25, 7:32 AM ET
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

President Bush told thousands of people in Hviezdoslavovo Square on Thursday that they and the United States are "allies and friends and brothers in the cause of freedom."

The remark summed up the goal Bush set before he left for Europe: to "make sure the Europeans understand ... that as we move beyond the differences of the past, that we can work a lot together to achieve big objectives."

But the loudest applause came not when Bush boasted that the war with Iraq was part of the "cause of freedom" but when he promised to make it easier for Slovaks to get visas to travel to the USA. (Related item: Bush, Putin unite against nuclear weapons in Iran)

Bush's words and the crowd's applause, muted by gloved and mittened hands, also were not enough to drown out the chants of protesters.

Dasa Gaaloga came to hear Bush speak not because she likes him, she said, but because "I just want to see him."

Gaaloga, 23, a student, reflected the views of several people in the crowd when asked how people here feel about the Iraq war and Bush's relationship with Europe.

"I'm not for the war, but something had to be done, and now it's over," she said. "Now Bush should pay more attention to Europe's problems."

Bush got the same message from some of the world leaders he met with during the trip.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder went to Brussels, where Bush attended NATO and European Union summits, with several concerns. After Bush met with them there and with Russian President Vladimir Putin here on Thursday, plenty of unfinished business remained:

• Bush inched closer to joining Great Britain, Germany and France in negotiations with Iran over halting its nuclear program. But there was no agreement on what incentives might be offered to persuade Iran to stop enriching fuel that could be used in nuclear weapons.

• Bush said he wants to work with Germany to share research and develop technology to reduce global warming, an issue of particular concern to Schroeder. But he did not make a specific proposal.

• France became the last of NATO's 26 members to join its effort to train Iraqi troops and will contribute to a trust fund to do so. But Bush did not win acknowledgment from the leaders of Germany, France and Russia, all of whom opposed the war, that the invasion was a wise move or that Iraq is on the path to stability.

• Bush and Putin agreed to disagree on the Russian president's commitment to democracy. Bush said he believes Putin's assurances that "there can be no return to what we used to have."

Putin said he will "take into account" some of Bush's concerns. But he did not promise to ease restrictions on the media and his political opposition.

The protests that accompanied every stop on Bush's five-day trip and interviews with people on the street in Belgium, Germany and Slovakia suggested that many Europeans have not been won over.

"I don't like him," said Yasmine Marrein, 24, an administrative assistant in Brussels. "I think he searches for war."

European newspapers praised Bush's commitment, in a speech Monday in Brussels, to support a unified, strengthened Europe. But there also was criticism and skepticism. "Bush's new love affair with the Europeans is a love affair of convenience, not a love match," said an editorial in Belgium's left-of-centre Le Soir.

A poll in Germany's Die Welt said Germans have more confidence in Putin than in Bush, and 67% said Germans have no reason to still be grateful to the United States for its help rebuilding Germany after World War II. Novy Cas, a tabloid in Bratislava, criticized Slovakia's prime minister, Mikulas Dzurinda, for making "subservient" comments about Bush.

Still, Bush's European counterparts seemed eager to dispel the impression that disagreements over Iraq have permanently soured their relationships with him.

Putin called Bush an "interested partner" and said their meeting was friendly and took place "in a very trustful atmosphere." Chirac said there's been no change in their "very warm relations." Schroeder thanked Bush for a "very friendly conversation."

Some Europeans are ready to move on. The war with Iraq "had to happen," said Viera Gregorova, 55, an advertising executive in Bratislava. "It is time to talk about something else."

Tomas Palko, 18, a student in Bratislava, said, "Europe needs America, so Europe needs Bush."

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