Bush Asks Europe to Move Past Rivalry

President Bush challenged Europe on Saturday to set aside differences over the war against Iraq and to sign on to his vision of a U.S.-led transatlantic alliance dedicated to promoting freedom and prosperity around the world.

“New theories of rivalry should not be permitted to undermine the great principles and obligations that we share,” the president said in the Polish city of Krakow before traveling to this former imperial capital celebrating its 300th anniversary. “The enemies of freedom have always preferred a divided alliance -- because when Europe and America are united, no problem and no enemy can stand against us.”

Consigning the recent divisions to history is a key theme of weekend summits and festivities here and in France. And at a Saturday night banquet, the ice was broken as Bush came face to face with a key European critic of the war in Iraq: his host, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin.

Yet although Bush’s trip has been billed as a fence-mending tour, his Krakow speech did not acknowledge or answer criticism of his decision to use force against Iraq. In fact, the president subtly chided his European allies for failing to support the war against Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Just as Europe should have confronted Nazi leader Adolf Hitler before 1939, he suggested, more European countries should have been willing to confront Hussein after the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon in 2001.

“For my country, the events of September the 11th were as decisive as the attack on Pearl Harbor and the treachery of another September in 1939,” Bush said. “And the lesson of all those events is the same: Aggression and evil intent must not be ignored or appeased. They must be opposed early and decisively.”

The reference to Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drew enthusiastic applause from the invited audience of about 500 Poles in the elegant, colonnaded courtyard of Krakow’s Wawel Castle, a Polish national shrine. Bush chose Poland as the site for his address to thank its people for their staunch support for the U.S. war against Iraq.

“Poland is a good citizen of Europe and Poland is a close friend of America -- and there is no conflict between the two,” Bush said.

U.S. officials have made clear in recent days that they consider the opposition of Germany and France to the war to have been not just a difference of opinion but an act of disloyalty. They have been more gracious to Russia, which is seen as being a younger and less experienced ally.

In the Krakow speech, Bush indicated that he is willing to let bygones be bygones as long as it doesn’t happen again.

“This is a time for all of us to unite in the defense of liberty and to step up to the shared duties of free nations,” the president said. “This is no time to stir up divisions in a great alliance.”

French President Jacques Chirac, whose conflict with Bush over Iraq policy was particularly severe, sought Saturday to put an upbeat spin on the discussions he will have with Bush at a Group of 8 summit of industrialized nations in Evian, France, that begins today.

“I am very happy that I shall have the chance in Evian to meet President Bush, and we will have to raise questions in the most positive manner,” Chirac told reporters here. Chirac left St. Petersburg on Saturday evening to prepare for the summit, missing Bush at the dinner.

Putin began the banquet with a toast urging the assembled leaders to simply enjoy themselves. “I invite you, at the end of this day, to forget about everything,” he said. “It’s not so often that you have a chance to be together with your spouses. This is just one opportunity, of not so many, to be in a good place, in a good atmosphere, with good friends.”

After the meal, Putin hosted an outdoor performance at the Peterhof Palace complex that included dancers in golden costumes and face paint, mimicking the statues in the luxurious garden of the former summer residence for Russian czars.

“A beautiful night, Vladimir,” Bush said to Putin after they sat down for the performance, with the sky still bright at almost 10:30 p.m.

“Now we know why they call it ‘White Nights,’ ” First Lady Laura Bush said.

Earlier in the day, before Bush’s arrival, Putin and other leaders at a Russia-European Union summit pledged their commitment to closer ties, while avoiding argument over potentially divisive issues such as the conflict in the separatist Russian republic of Chechnya.

“We have a very strong partnership,” European Commission President Romano Prodi said after that summit. “I told Vladimir that now we are like vodka and caviar. I don’t know which is which. But it’s clear each side’s trade, investment, common views and consultation is increasing.”

In a gesture that seemed aimed at helping to patch up the bitter divisions over Iraq, Putin praised the latest U.N. Security Council resolution that lifted sanctions on that country, calling it a compromise that returned the Iraq issue to United Nations oversight.

“I think the result is good,” he told reporters. “Also, I would like to note the movement of our American partners who met us halfway. President Bush contributed a great deal to this. And I would like to thank Prime Minister Tony Blair for active efforts aimed at enhancing cooperation.”

Many Europeans blame the divisions in the alliance on the United States, charging that it has become more unilateralist and more prone to using force since the Sept. 11 attacks.

European critics have complained that there was no clear link between Iraq and the attacks, nor conclusive evidence that Hussein had stockpiled nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

In Krakow, Bush’s speech was designed to set the stage for the rest of his trip -- the most ambitious diplomatic visit during his presidency, with the dual goals of repairing relations with Europe and making peace in the Middle East.

The best way to fight the evil of terrorism, the president said in his address, is to promote freedom and economic opportunity in regions of the world where poverty and disenfranchisement feed extremism.

“Americans know that terrorism is not defeated by military power alone,” Bush said. “We believe that the ultimate answer to hatred is hope. And as we fight the forces of terror, we must also change the conditions in which terror can take root.”

At the same time, recalling World War II, the president reminded Europeans that their own history should suggest that while force should be a last resort, it is sometimes unavoidable.

“Having seen the works of evil firsthand on this continent, we must never lose the courage to oppose it everywhere,” Bush said.

To that end, he argued that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization -- founded after World War II as a defensive alliance against the Soviet Union -- should now become more assertive outside the borders of its members.

“NATO must show resolve and foresight to act beyond Europe, and it has begun to do so,” Bush said. “A strong NATO alliance, with a broad vision of its role, will serve our security and the cause of peace.”

Bush’s address followed a somber morning visit to the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau, an hour’s drive outside Krakow, where the president placed wreaths in memory of the more than 1 million people, mostly Jews, who were killed there.

The visit to the camps was designed to highlight the administration’s argument that tyranny must be confronted in Iraq and elsewhere. It also paid homage to Jewish suffering as the president prepares for meetings in the Middle East, where he is expected to ask Israelis and Arabs to make concessions in the cause of peace.

“These sites are a sobering reminder ... of the power of evil and the need for people to resist evil,” Bush said in front of the ruins of one of the crematories in Birkenau. “This site is a sobering reminder that when we find anti-Semitism, whether it be in Europe or anywhere else, mankind must come together to fight such dark impulses.”

The two museum sites at Auschwitz and Birkenau, two miles apart, are all that remains of a sprawling complex that once held three main camps and 40 sub-camps. The last president to visit Auschwitz was President Ford in 1975.

After meeting with Putin today, Bush flies to France to attend the G-8 summit, where European relations and the reconstruction of Iraq are expected to be central topics.

The Middle Eastern leg of his tour begins Monday, when he flies to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheik to meet with Arab leaders.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

What he said

The following are excerpts from President Bush’s speech in Krakow, Poland:

U.S.-EUROPEAN RELATIONS

As the Atlantic alliance has expanded, it has also been tested. America and European countries have been called to confront the threat of global terror. Each nation has faced difficult decisions about the use of military force to keep the peace. We have seen unity and common purpose. We have also seen debate -- some of it healthy, some of it divisive.

I have come to Krakow to state the intentions of my country. The United States is committed to a strong Atlantic alliance to ensure security, to advance freedom and keep peace in the world.

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TERRORISM

In the last 20 months, the world has seen the determination of my country and many others to fight terror, yet armed force is always the last resort. And Americans know that terrorism is not defeated by military power alone. We believe that the ultimate answer to hatred is hope. And, as we fight the forces of terror, we must also change the conditions in which terror can take root.

Terrorism is often bred in failing states, so we must help nations in crisis to build a civil society of free institutions.

The ideology of terror takes hold in an atmosphere of resentment and hopelessness, so we must help men and women around the world live lives with purpose and dignity, and, in the long term, add to our security by helping to spread freedom and alleviate suffering. This sets a broad agenda for nations on both sides of the Atlantic.

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COMBATING AIDS

In Africa, the spread of HIV/AIDS threatens millions and the stability of an entire continent. The United States has undertaken a comprehensive, $15-billion effort to prevent AIDS, to treat AIDS, to provide humane care for its victims. I urge our partners in Europe to make a similar commitment so we can work together in turning the tide against AIDS.

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FIGHTING HUNGER

Global hunger is a chronic challenge, and we have a crisis in Africa. The United States is establishing an emergency fund so we can rush help to countries where the first signs of famine appear. The nations of Europe can greatly help in this effort with emergency funds of their own.

I hope European governments will reconsider policies that discourage farmers in developing countries from using safe biotechnology to feed their own people.

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MIDDLE EAST

Today in the Middle East, the emergence of a new Palestinian leadership, which has condemned terror, is a hopeful sign that the parties can agree to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security....

No leader of conscience can accept more months and years of humiliation and killing and mourning. I will do all that I can to help the parties reach an agreement and then to see that that agreement is enforced.

Source: Reuters