Bush Touts Alliance With Europe

President Bush and French President Jacques Chirac said Monday they had patched up their differences over Iraq as Bush appealed for European unity in helping to spread democracy across the Middle East.

At the same time, Mr. Bush prodded Russia to reverse a crackdown on political dissent, suggesting Moscow's efforts to join the World Trade Organization could hinge on it. He said he would press the point when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the week.

"I intend to remind him that if his interests lie West, that we share values and that those values are important," Bush said. "They're not only important for people who that live within Russia, they're important to have good relations with the West."

He also demanded that Iran end its nuclear ambitions and told Syria to get out of Lebanon.

On the first full day of Bush's fence-mending tour of Europe, Mr. Bush and Chirac said they were committed to restoring good relations despite their disagreement over the war in Iraq.

CBS Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts reports that President Bush said: "This is my first dinner on since I was elected on European soil...and I chose to have it with Jacques Chirac. That should tell you a lot."

"I'm looking for a good cowboy," Mr. Bush joked later when a French reporter asked him whether relations had improved to the point where the U.S. president would be inviting Chirac to the U.S. president's ranch in Texas.

Chirac said that U.S.-French relations have been "excellent for over 200 years now." Chirac added, "That doesn't necessarily mean we agree on everything at every time." The two leaders made the comments before they sat down to dinner.
The two leaders issued a joint statement calling for passage of a U.N. resolution insisting that Syria withdraw its troops from Lebanon and calling for a full investigation into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister. They cited Lebanon, along with peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan, as examples of how they were working together.

Mr. Bush's speech on a five-day fence-mending trip to Europe was aimed at both U.S. and European audiences. "In a new century, the alliance of America and Europe is the main pillar of our security," he said.

He used the word "alliance" 12 times in his speech to underscore his aim to repair relations frayed by the war in Iraq. But not all his speech was conciliatory.

Mr. Bush had pointed criticism for Russia three days ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Slovakia. Referring to Putin's recent steps to consolidate power, rollback democratic reforms and curb press and political freedoms, Mr. Bush said:

"We must always remind Russia that our alliance stands for a free press, a vital opposition, the sharing of power and the rule of law. The United States should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia."

As Roberts reports, Mr. Bush has a delicate few days in front of him. On his agenda: meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Roberts reports the President will tell Putin that if he hopes to have good relations with the west, he must put Russia on a track to true democratic reform.

Mr. Bush's speech was delivered in an ornate ballroom of Brussels' Concert Noble hall before an audience of business leaders, academics and diplomats. It was greeted mostly by subdued applause.

His trip also includes stops in Germany and Slovakia.

Putting aside differences over the war in Iraq, CBS News Correspondent Mark Knoller reports Mr. Bush urged Europe to get more deeply engaged in bringing about a Mideast peace.

Mr. Bush said a settlement of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is "now within reach," adding that the U.S. and Europe have both a moral commitment and a strategic interest in bringing about a lasting peace there.

Mr. Bush also urged greater "tangible political, economic and security assistance to the world's newest democracy," Iraq. And he called for European allies to stand by fledgling democracy movements throughout the world, and especially in the Middle East.

He said he recognized that full democracy could take awhile to root. Even in the United States, democracy came slowly, Mr. Bush said, pointing out that women and minorities were not treated equally "and that struggle hasn't ended."

Mr. Bush had sharp words for Syria, calling on leaders in Damascus to withdraw its forces from Lebanon. As Mr. Bush spoke, thousands of opposition supporters in Beirut shouted insults at Syria and demanded the resignation of Lebanon's pro-Syrian government, marking a week since the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Lebanon's most prominent politician.

The United States has withdrawn its ambassador from Syria for consultations to protest a suspected link between the assassination and Syria.

"The Lebanese people have the right to be free, and the United States and Europe share an interest in an independent, democratic Lebanon," Mr. Bush said.

On Iran, Mr. Bush said the United States was working with European allies Britain, France and Germany on a diplomatic solution to end Iran's nuclear program. His administration, however, has been skeptical of the Europeans' approach to offer Iran economic and political incentives not to develop nuclear arms.

"The results of this approach now depend largely on Iran," Mr. Bush said. "The time has arrived for the Iranian regime to listen to the Iranian people and respect their rights and join in the movement toward liberty that is taking place all around them."

And he had pointed advice for two pivotal U.S. allies in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

"The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future," Mr. Bush said, urging greater move toward giving Saudi more political freedom.

"The great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East," Mr. Bush said.

Brussels police readied 2,500 officers for Mr. Bush's visit and summit meetings on Tuesday with NATO and the European Union, both based in Brussels.

An alliance of 88 environmental, human rights, peace and other groups planned two days of protests in Brussels to demand "no European complicity" in a U.S.-designed world order.

Before the speech, the president made a courtesy call on King Albert II and Queen Paola, Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Verhofstadt, who introduced Mr. Bush at the speech, said the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was divisive — but with pressing problems in Africa and other parts of the world, "It makes little sense arguing about who was right."

Mr. Bush sought to minimize past differences on Iraq.

"Some Europeans joined the fight to liberate Iraq, while others did not," Mr. Bush said. "All nations now have an interest in the success of a free and democratic Iraq, which will fight terror, which will be a beacon of freedom and which will be a source of true stability in the region."

Despite Mr. Bush's appeal to bury past differences, divisions remain over other issues, including the U.S. decision not to enter the Kyoto climate change treaty, which many European nations supported.

"All of us expressed our views on the Kyoto Protocol, and now we must work together on the way forward," Mr. Bush said. He suggested the answer lies in "the power of human ingenuity" and emerging technologies.