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US President George W. Bush arrived in Europe for a five-day trip aimed at fostering a friendly atmosphere early in his second term and addressing how to deal with Iran, Syria and NATO's future.
Bush will meet European Union and NATO leaders on Monday and Tuesday. He will give a speech on Monday setting the tone for his visit, underscoring his belief that spreading American political ideals will make the world more peaceful.
"The president will talk about the importance of America and Europe working together in common purpose," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters travelling with Bush.
"He'll talk about how this is a time to move beyond past differences and work in unity, and he'll talk about how our strong friendship, our shared history and our common values are what unite us."
Bush will seek a fresh start in relations with French President Jacques Chirac by meeting him at a working dinner, and will go to Mainz, Germany, on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Chirac and Schroeder led European opposition to the Iraq war but officials on both sides of the Atlantic see an intense period of rapprochement under way so they can work together on Iraq's reconstruction and other urgent priorities.
"America and Europe are the pillars of the free world. We share the same belief in freedom and the rights of every individual, and we are working together across the globe to advance our common interest and common values," Bush said in his weekly radio address on Saturday.
With such a large media entourage following the tour, Bush is bound to face questions over tapes aired on Sunday in which he indicated he used marijuana before he became president but did not admit it for fear of setting a bad example for children.
White House officials did not dispute the tapes' veracity and indicated the president was disappointed by their release.
Talks with Putin
Bush will end his trip in Bratislava where he will praise Slovakia's democracy and will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and raise US concerns Putin is backsliding on Russian democracy and centralising power.
"He's done some things that has concerned people," Bush told Slovak state television.
Europe and the United States appeared united on the need to put pressure on Syria after the targeted killing last Monday of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Syria denies involvement in his death but Washington suspects it had a role and is pressing Syria to remove its troops from Lebanon.
The two sides are more divided on the debate over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is for power generation but which Washington says is aimed at building a nuclear weapon.
The most senior Democrat on the US Senate intelligence committee, Jay Rockefeller, said Bush's discussions with Putin would be crucial, particularly over Iran.
"I think his most important conversation will be with President Putin of Russia because he has come out very recently and said the Iranians are not producing nuclear weapons, it's only nuclear power and therefore he's going to go ahead and continue helping them. And I think that's a stern conversation they need to have," Rockefeller told Fox television.
The European Union, led by France, Germany and Britain, has offered trade and political benefits if Iran gives up uranium enrichment, and believes it would bolster the EU's leverage if the United States got involved in the bargaining.
Iran
The United States supports the EU effort and is closely monitoring the talks with an eye toward bringing the case to the U.N. Security Council and asking for sanctions. EU diplomats would prefer to resolve the issue without the Security Council.
A senior administration official said the two sides should work to avoid differences in their approach to Iran.
"We do ourselves and our common cause no good by wrangling about the tactics," the official told reporters travelling with Bush. "The issue and the problem is Iran's behaviour. My sense is the Europeans want to talk to us in exactly those terms."
The Bush administration is worried by EU wishes to end a ban on arms sales to China, and the senior official acknowledged that this could be an area of difference in their talks.
"We have real problems with the approach that some have suggested the European Union take, but we want to consult the Europeans in advance of any final decision that they may take."
The future of the NATO alliance and transatlantic relations will provide an important touchstone for discussions.
Hundreds of demonstrators protested in Brussels on Sunday ahead of Bush's arrival.
Both the far left and far right were demonstrating, with the right wanting him to pull U.S. troops out of Europe and the left criticising what they say is his disdain for international law.
