Bush Rallies NATO Summit

Warning against inaction, President Bush urged all European allies Wednesday to join the U.S.-led coalition to disarm Iraq, saying that “when great democracies fail to confront danger, greater dangers follow.”

In an address on the eve of NATO’s expansion from 19 to 26 nations, Bush spoke of what he sees as the alliance’s obligation to confront the modern-day threats posed by terrorists and regimes such as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s, as it moves away from its roots as an anti-Soviet defense grouping.

The president also pledged the alliance’s unqualified military protection to the seven incoming members, all part of the formerly communist East.

“Anyone who would choose you for an enemy also chooses us for an enemy,” Bush said to Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria.

“Never again in the face of aggression will you stand alone,” he added, as he invoked the memory of totalitarianism that cast a huge shadow over Europe in the 20th century.

Most of Bush’s remarks, however, were pointed reminders of current concerns.

“The world needs the nations of this continent to be active in the defense of freedom -- not inward-looking or isolated by indifference,” the president said.

NATO is facing its “hour of challenge,” he warned, because “great evil is stirring in the world.”

“Ignoring dangers or excusing aggression may temporarily avert conflict, but they don’t bring true peace,” Bush said, while at the same time insisting to a wary European audience that war with Iraq isn’t a foregone conclusion.

Senior Bush administration officials here wouldn’t elaborate on the president’s remarks -- for instance, declining to specify what countries he had in mind when he said that the nations of Europe must “take up global responsibilities or choose to live in isolation from the challenges of our time.”

Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder have had a very public falling-out in recent weeks over the latter’s refusal to participate in military action against Iraq.

The officials also wouldn’t explain Bush’s meaning when he said of Hussein: “Should he again deny that this arsenal exists, he will have entered his final stage with a lie.”

“There’s a lot of scenarios that can be played out,” White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said.

Walking a Tightrope

Both in his NATO address and his remarks during a brief news conference earlier in the day with Czech President Vaclav Havel, Bush seemed to be walking a rhetorical tightrope.

On the one hand, he didn’t want to ease the pressure on Baghdad to disarm, having already taken steps to assemble an international coalition committed to going to war, if necessary, to force Iraq to get rid of its suspected weapons of mass destruction.

Yet, with considerable angst on the continent, Bush also must guard against warmongering language that might hamper his ongoing efforts to broaden the anti-Iraq coalition.

Thus, during his appearance with Havel at Prague Castle, Bush more than once held out the possibility that a war could be avoided.

“If the collective will of the world is strong, we can achieve disarmament peacefully,” Bush said. “However, should he choose not to disarm, the United States will lead a coalition of the willing to disarm him.”

Asked specifically about Schroeder’s strong opposition to war in Iraq, Bush replied: “If the decision is made to use military force, we will consult with our friends, and we hope that our friends will join us. And as to Germany’s role, it’s a decision Germany will make.”

At a later point in the news conference, Bush again raised the possibility of a peaceful resolution.

“War is my last choice, my last option. I hope we can do this peacefully. It is possible that Saddam Hussein gets the message that we’re serious about disarmament and he should fully disarm. That’s possible,” he said.

“The possibility becomes more real if he understands that there is a true consequence for his failure to disarm.”

In his call to action, Bush hailed the triumph of the incoming NATO members, saying that with their entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, “the soul of Europe grows stronger.” He said they will “bring greater clarity” to NATO’s mission “because they understand the lessons of the last century.”

Bush added pointedly: “And this spirit is needed in the councils of a new Europe.”

After the president’s speech, a senior administration official offered some context to those remarks.

“The president has been struck, in his meetings with the Central and East European leaders, by the perspective that they bring to all of NATO’s older members, including the United States,” he said.

“These are leaders for whom the totalitarian horrors of the 20th century are not things they read about in books, and not things that their parents or grandparents told them, but things they themselves lived through in ways that were personal, up front and occasionally very nasty.... And that’s something the new allies will bring and have brought to the alliance.”

Niche Roles in NATO

As for NATO itself, Bush said its forces need upgrading to reflect the challenges of a post-Sept. 11 world.

“To meet all of this century’s emerging threats, from terror camps in remote regions to hidden laboratories of outlaw regimes, NATO must develop new military capabilities,” he said.

“NATO forces must become better able to fight side by side. Those forces must be more mobile and more swiftly deployed. The allies need more special operations forces, better precision strike capabilities and more modern command structures,” Bush added.

Earlier in the day, the president said that in a transformed and more effective NATO, members need not achieve comparable military capability. Rather, different nations can assume “niche” roles -- such as the Czech Republic’s expertise in dealing with the aftermath of a biological weapon attack, he said.

In his formal , Bush strongly reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Europe, saying that the Atlantic alliance remains “America’s most important global relationship.”

Once more, however, he reached back into history to drive home his point.

“The commitment of my nation to Europe is found in the carefully tended graves of young Americans who died for this continent’s freedom,” he said.

And that ongoing commitment, he said, is epitomized by the thousands of GIs still serving here -- “from the Balkans to Bavaria, still willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for this continent’s future.”