Rice Tries to Bridge Gap With Europe

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reached out to America’s allies in Europe on Tuesday, urging them to set aside the differences that have strained transatlantic ties since the invasion of Iraq and join with the United States to broaden the boundaries of freedom in the world.

Rice’s 25-minute speech, delivered at one of France’s premier schools of political learning, was a high-profile effort to win European support for President Bush’s ambitious vision of spreading democracy to the Middle East.

“It’s time to turn away from the disagreements of the past,” Rice told an audience at the Institute of Political Studies that included members of the French political and intellectual elite, such as former President Valery Giscard d’Estaing and former Premier Alain Juppe.

“It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship and a new chapter in our alliance,” she added. “America stands ready to work with Europe on our common agenda, and Europe must stand ready to work with America.”

Aides to Rice billed the speech as a major event of her first overseas trip since she replaced Colin L. Powell as secretary of State last month. Her tour was the latest in a series of moves since Bush’s reelection to mend relations with key European allies.

Her remarks, followed by a brief question-and-answer session, were greeted with polite but restrained applause.

Officially, France embraced Rice’s overture. At a news conference with the secretary of State on Tuesday evening, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was almost effusive, referring to his counterpart as “dear Condi” on three occasions.

He spoke enthusiastically about her comments, using similar language to describe the way forward.

“The world is a better place when America and Europe work together,” Barnier said. “I think it is time for a fresh start.”

A senior State Department official said French President Jacques Chirac complimented Rice twice on her speech during an hourlong meeting that covered a variety of topics, including developments in the Middle East.

French and U.S. officials carefully skirted many issues that continued to divide them, including how to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, European plans to lift an arms embargo against China and the role of the International Criminal Court.

Outside the French government, however, initial reaction in Paris to Rice’s remarks was mixed. Benjamin Barnier, a journalism student who attended her presentation, said Rice spoke effectively but her vision of world affairs tended toward excessive optimism.

Although Paris and Washington have clashed over Iraq and other issues, the student said her call for a new era of U.S.-French partnership was convincing.

“I think it’s going to help,” he said. “I think the relationship between France and the U.S. is not so bad.”

Commenting on France 2 television, political scientist Olivier Duhamel said Rice’s call for cooperation stemmed from the shortcomings of Bush administration policies during the last four years.

“Reality punished the excesses of some American intellectuals in Iraq, so now they need France and they need Europe,” Duhamel said.

Rice’s eight-day trip, which includes stops in seven European capitals in addition to a brief Mideast visit for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, is also meant to pave the way for Bush’s European visit this month.

Although some European countries, including Britain, Spain and Poland, joined the U.S.-led military coalition that ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein nearly two years ago, many did not -- France and Germany among them.

It was no coincidence that Rice delivered her speech in Paris. France, and particularly the influential Institute of Political Studies, has been at the center of a debate on how to develop a counterweight to a level of American power that many Europeans view as excessive.

A senior Bush administration official said the core message of Rice’s speech was that the U.S. wanted a partner, not a counterweight. The choice of Paris as the venue reflected the importance the administration places on bringing major European countries on board, officials said.

The White House’s professed determination to transform the Middle East is predicated on its belief that the origins of the extremism that threatens the United States can be found in the lack of political freedom in much of the region.

January’s election in Iraq and Tuesday’s summit between the Palestinians and Israelis are the latest in a series of developments that U.S. officials hope will dent European cynicism about Bush’s agenda.

Rice also struck the theme of Euro-American cooperation earlier Tuesday during a stop in Rome. Unlike France, Italy has been an important contributor to the U.S.-led force in Iraq.

Rice had planned to meet with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, but the session was canceled because he was ill with flu. A scheduled meeting with ailing Pope John Paul II was also called off.

Times staff writers Maria De Cristofaro in Rome and Achrene Sicakyuz in Paris contributed to this report.