Bush on farewell Europe tour seeks to pressure Iran
(Updates with summit getting under way)
By Jeremy Pelofsky and Zoran Radosavljevic
BRDO, Slovenia, June 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush opened a farewell European summit on Tuesday, aiming to work with allies to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme but still at odds with them over climate change.
Bush met Slovenian leaders, who hold the European Union's rotating presidency, together with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Later he was due to head off on a tour of the capitals of the continent's four biggest powers.
Washington and European governments have played down the chance of dramatic announcements during the visit, which comes in the twilight of a presidency marked by fierce opposition from many Europeans to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Divisions over Iraq have eased somewhat, as Europeans look past Bush to the successor who will be elected in November.
Reflecting the low-key nature of the summit and the locals' seeming indifference to a visiting U.S. president with less than eight months left in office, not a single demonstrator was to be seen in Ljubljana's heavily guarded streets.
A draft statement to be released after the three-hour summit at Brdo Castle showed the United States and EU were ready to threaten extra measures against Iran on top of U.N. sanctions if it keeps refusing to stop sensitive nuclear work.
The United States and its European allies agree Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, although Tehran insists its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes.
But it remained unclear how far the Europeans, who rarely echo Bush's harsh rhetoric against Iran and have sometimes been reluctant to get tougher, would be willing to go.
Washington has pressed the EU to deny some Iranian banks access to the world financial system. EU diplomats have said recently the bloc could go beyond already-approved sanctions, citing previous travel bans and asset freezes.
MORE COOPERATIVE APPROACH
Bush, accused by critics of "cowboy diplomacy" during much of his presidency, has tried to take a more cooperative approach with allies in his second term, hoping to forge a foreign policy legacy defined by more than Iraq.
Bush acknowledges he is unpopular in Europe, as well as at home. "A lot of people like America. They may not sometimes necessarily like the president," Bush told Slovenia's Pop TV.
On climate change, EU policymakers say they have given up trying to get Washington to join with the bloc in signing up now to binding cuts of greenhouse gas emissions.
U.S. officials insist that big developing nations such as China and India must make similar commitments first, and that Europeans hoping for big changes under a new president will be disappointed.
Polls suggest Europeans are especially fond of Democrat Barack Obama for his opposition to the Iraq war.
Obama and Republican John McCain both win high marks in Europe for calling for the closure of the Guantanamo military prison, where terrorism suspects are held.
Money matters will also figure in Bush's week-long trip, which will see stops in Germany, Italy, France and Britain.
He made clear before leaving Washington that he would underline his commitment to a "strong dollar" -- its weakness is seen as a barometer of the U.S. economic slowdown -- and his concern about record oil prices.
A decade-old EU ban on U.S. poultry imports is also likely to be raised. Though affecting only a fraction of transatlantic trade, it is taken by Washington as the test of a new body designed to smooth such trade disputes.
Meeting President Danilo Turk on Tuesday, Bush noted that "my first trip to Europe as president began in Slovenia".
It was there that Bush met Russia's then-president, Vladimir Putin, in 2001 and said he had peered into his soul. (Writing by Matt Spetalnick and William Schomberg, additional reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
By Jeremy Pelofsky and Zoran Radosavljevic
BRDO, Slovenia, June 10 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush opened a farewell European summit on Tuesday, aiming to work with allies to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme but still at odds with them over climate change.
Bush met Slovenian leaders, who hold the European Union's rotating presidency, together with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. Later he was due to head off on a tour of the capitals of the continent's four biggest powers.
Washington and European governments have played down the chance of dramatic announcements during the visit, which comes in the twilight of a presidency marked by fierce opposition from many Europeans to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
Divisions over Iraq have eased somewhat, as Europeans look past Bush to the successor who will be elected in November.
Reflecting the low-key nature of the summit and the locals' seeming indifference to a visiting U.S. president with less than eight months left in office, not a single demonstrator was to be seen in Ljubljana's heavily guarded streets.
A draft statement to be released after the three-hour summit at Brdo Castle showed the United States and EU were ready to threaten extra measures against Iran on top of U.N. sanctions if it keeps refusing to stop sensitive nuclear work.
The United States and its European allies agree Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, although Tehran insists its nuclear program is strictly for civilian purposes.
But it remained unclear how far the Europeans, who rarely echo Bush's harsh rhetoric against Iran and have sometimes been reluctant to get tougher, would be willing to go.
Washington has pressed the EU to deny some Iranian banks access to the world financial system. EU diplomats have said recently the bloc could go beyond already-approved sanctions, citing previous travel bans and asset freezes.
MORE COOPERATIVE APPROACH
Bush, accused by critics of "cowboy diplomacy" during much of his presidency, has tried to take a more cooperative approach with allies in his second term, hoping to forge a foreign policy legacy defined by more than Iraq.
Bush acknowledges he is unpopular in Europe, as well as at home. "A lot of people like America. They may not sometimes necessarily like the president," Bush told Slovenia's Pop TV.
On climate change, EU policymakers say they have given up trying to get Washington to join with the bloc in signing up now to binding cuts of greenhouse gas emissions.
U.S. officials insist that big developing nations such as China and India must make similar commitments first, and that Europeans hoping for big changes under a new president will be disappointed.
Polls suggest Europeans are especially fond of Democrat Barack Obama for his opposition to the Iraq war.
Obama and Republican John McCain both win high marks in Europe for calling for the closure of the Guantanamo military prison, where terrorism suspects are held.
Money matters will also figure in Bush's week-long trip, which will see stops in Germany, Italy, France and Britain.
He made clear before leaving Washington that he would underline his commitment to a "strong dollar" -- its weakness is seen as a barometer of the U.S. economic slowdown -- and his concern about record oil prices.
A decade-old EU ban on U.S. poultry imports is also likely to be raised. Though affecting only a fraction of transatlantic trade, it is taken by Washington as the test of a new body designed to smooth such trade disputes.
Meeting President Danilo Turk on Tuesday, Bush noted that "my first trip to Europe as president began in Slovenia".
It was there that Bush met Russia's then-president, Vladimir Putin, in 2001 and said he had peered into his soul. (Writing by Matt Spetalnick and William Schomberg, additional reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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