Iran Will Dominate Bush's Europe Trip
WASHINGTON — President Bush departs Sunday on a European fence-mending trip under a full head of political steam.
He takes with him his reelection mandate, his conviction that events in the Middle East are beginning to move his way and the momentum from a successful warm-up act by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited Europe this month.
Yet Bush's hopes of reviving the North Atlantic alliance and enlisting Europe in his bid to remake the Middle East could quickly run aground on a simmering, unresolved issue: Iran's nuclear program.
U.S. and European officials agree that preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons is an urgent priority, but differ strongly about how to do it. Americans are skeptical of a European diplomatic initiative, whereas Europeans criticize the United States for doing nothing but issue warnings to Iran, which insists that its nuclear energy program is peaceful.
"Strong statements are not a policy," said a European diplomat, who declined to be named.
European officials said that persuading Bush to back the diplomatic initiative on Iran was their top goal, and the president was expected to be lobbied hard on the issue.
A second European diplomat said Iran would be a major topic during the one-on-one sessions Bush is scheduled to have with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, which are driving the negotiations with Iran.
Bush is scheduled to dine Monday evening with French President Jacques Chirac, have breakfast Tuesday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and lunch that day with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
"We hope this trip offers a real in-depth opportunity to explain to President Bush himself, not just some assistant secretary of State, that these negotiations are the only game in town and should be supported more than they already are," said Germany's ambassador to the U.S., Wolfgang Ischinger. "So far we've had some expressions of support, but not much real support."
Iran is the most urgent in a series of issues that continue to divide Europe and the U.S. And despite a mutual desire to reduce tensions, there has been little visible movement toward finding common ground.
The International Criminal Court has Europe's support, but not Washington's; the U.S. opposes Europe's plan to lift its arms embargo against China; the Europeans back the Kyoto Treaty on global warming, the Bush administration does not. There also is skepticism in Europe about Bush's stated goal of spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East.
