[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 22 (Wednesday, March 2, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1889-S1891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PRESIDENT BUSH'S TRIP TO EUROPE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I, along with others, had an 
opportunity yesterday to get a briefing from the President about his 
trip to Europe. It was a bipartisan group, well attended, and everyone 
was quite interested in getting the President's views of the results of 
his trip.
  It is clear that the Iraqi election has transformed the political 
landscape, not only in the Middle East but in Europe as well.
  First in the Middle East, we have witnessed in the last few months 
the election in Afghanistan on October 9, the election in the 
Palestinian territories on January 9. We have witnessed the Rose 
revolution up in Georgia, the Orange revolution in Ukraine. Then we 
have had the election in Iraq. And in the post-Iraq period, we have 
seen people take to the streets in Lebanon.
  It is clear with the unified message from the French and the 
Americans that the international community wants, at long last, Syrian 
troops out of Lebanon--entirely out, not just the troops but the 
security forces as well--so that the Lebanese elections this spring can 
be uninhibited by foreigners.
  All of this is going on, and added to that we have the President of 
Egypt saying they are going to have a real election. That has certainly 
not been the case in Egypt in the past. A real election presumably 
means real choices with the opposition allowed to speak, participate, 
and run for office.
  We have even seen some elections in Saudi Arabia, though women are 
not yet allowed to vote. That is a step obviously in the right 
direction.
  What is happening here? I think the Iraqi policy of the President of 
the United States is transforming the Middle East and transforming 
European attitudes toward America and the policy in the Middle East. 
The President's trip last week I think underscores that.
  He had unanimous support from NATO, all 26 countries, to do something 
within their capability to help the Iraqi emerging democracy. The 
French want to help. The Germans want to help. This is an enormous 
transformation in Europe, as well as in the Middle East. All of this, I 
would argue, is a result of the extraordinarily effective war on terror 
and particularly the Afghanistan and Iraqi chapters.
  The President's grand strategy is not just to protect us at home--and 
that has worked so far; since 9/11 they have not been able to hit us 
again--but through these policies of transformation, he sort of drained 
the swamp and made it likely that the kinds of people who tend to join 
up with these terrorist groups will feel a sense of hopelessness in 
their own countries because they do not have a chance to influence 
outcomes and determine their own governments and their own fates.
  This is an incredible step in the right direction. Clearly, problems 
remain, and at the top of the list would have to be Iran and North 
Korea. With regard to Iran, the President is pursuing a multilateral 
policy in which the British, the Germans, and the French engage the 
Iranians, hoping to convince them to follow the policy chosen by 
Muammar Qadhafi, for example, in Libya, witnessing what happened to 
Saddam Hussein in Iraq, deciding it would be better to give up weapons 
of mass destruction and work his way back toward being part of the 
community of civilized nations. The Europeans hopefully will make that 
point to the Iranians, and we are looking forward to pursuing a very 
aggressive policy. Everyone in Europe agrees that a nuclear Iran is 
simply not an option.
  While we do have growing areas of agreement with our European allies, 
there are some differences. As the Senator from Virginia pointed out, 
we are not happy about the apparent decision of the European community 
to trade with China in possibly missile technology or other military 
equipment that could potentially destabilize Asia and raise the anxiety 
of the Japanese, for example, and ourselves and exacerbate the cross-
straits problem between China and Taiwan. So we do have our differences 
with the Europeans on that.
  The President made it clear that in addition to the public meetings 
he had with President Putin of Russia, privately he also aggressively 
emphasized the importance of Russia continuing in a democratic 
direction and the importance of not unraveling the democratic reforms 
of the early 1990s if Russia is going to be a place where foreign 
investment will be willing to go. If there is not a respect for the 
rule of law and not a free press, not the kind of atmosphere in which 
one can function, the chances of Russia realizing its aspirations will 
be significantly set back if President Putin continues down the path he 
has chosen.
  The new Ukrainian President was there. It was very exciting for all 
of the 26 NATO members to have an opportunity to see this hero. His 
opponents tried to kill him, and he is still in the process of trying 
to recover from the poisoning that almost took his life. It was 
remarkable to see the Ukrainian people take to the streets and demand 
an honest election, get an honest election, and elect someone who is 
westward leaning and who wants to bring the Ukraine into the European 
community and make it a country that can advance the hopes, desires, 
and aspirations of the Ukrainian people.
  Finally, the President indicated he had an extraordinary, uplifting 
experience in Slovakia. He said he was standing there in the square 
speaking to the Slovakian people, and he said the best evidence that 
they have a genuine democracy was that one fellow had a sign up with 
some kind of anti-Bush comment on the sign. The President said the man 
stood there quietly holding up his sign during all of the President's 
speech, and the President pointed out that that was a further 
illustration that in Slovakia they are free to speak their mind and 
peacefully protest. The President thought that was a good sign of the 
stability and effectiveness of the new Slovakian democracy. By the way, 
that is a country that is making remarkable progress, which is, I am 
sure, the reason the President chose to go there.

  I conclude by saying that President Bush clearly had a good week, and 
the reason he had a good week is because he has been pursuing policies 
that are working. Democracy is breaking out, springing up, taking root 
all through the Middle East, and the Europeans look at that and have to 
conclude that whether or not they supported the Iraq war initially, 
that single decision to liberate Iraq could well be the turning

[[Page S1890]]

point in transforming the Middle East into a place where democracies 
that respect the rights of minorities, engage in protection of human 
rights, and have free presses are the wave of the future.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair let me know when I 
have 6 minutes remaining on our time, please.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair will so inform the Senator.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. President, President Bush has recently concluded an 
historic and highly productive trip to Europe. During my review of what 
was said, and more importantly, what was accomplished, I was struck by 
the number of significant issues that were addressed and how so many of 
them portend a better future for our important transatlantic 
relationship. This was a ``good news'' trip, which might explain why 
its coverage in the U.S. media was minimal at best.
  There is no doubt that relations between the United States and Europe 
have been strained, especially over the conflict to liberate the people 
of Iraq. And, as we know, the media seems to thrive on reporting bad 
news at the expense of the good, which can distort what actually 
exists.
  I know, for example, that reading about the situation in Iraq in the 
press forms one perception of reality. But, one gets a very different 
point of view if they visit Iraq and meet with our military personnel 
who are serving there, as I was able to do recently. One would think 
that they are talking about two completely different countries. The 
fact is that Iraq is not all doom and gloom, nor is it yet the place we 
envision it to become.
  It is evolving politically, economically, socially, and yes, it is 
facing significant challenges from insurgents and terrorists. Yet, 
thanks to the vision and fortitude of President Bush, the extraordinary 
men and women in our military and diplomatic service, and the Iraqi 
people, Iraq is becoming a more secure country working toward its own 
unique form of representative government.
  In Europe, it is my firm belief that we have far more in common than 
we have differences over foreign policy. Again, the media has tended to 
focus its reporting on the problems between us, which distorts the 
reality of our relationship with Europe. And, what is that reality? 
What are the issues? And, how do we see the transatlantic alliance in 
the future?
  I come to this issue without any ``rose colored'' glasses. As a 
congressional delegate to the WorId Economic Conference in Davos, 
Switzerland, last January, I experienced first-hand the depth of 
resentment toward the United States felt by many Europeans. But on that 
same trip, in a meeting with French President Chirac, I also saw the 
beginning of the end of this feeling.
  We have a vision for Iraq and the Middle East in general that calls 
for individual freedom and representative government. I do not think 
that the French, or any other democratic, European nation was opposed 
to this ``vision.'' Rather, they were skeptical that President Bush 
could actually move his vision of freedom to becoming a reality in an 
area of the world pretty much devoid of democratic governments, with a 
few exceptions like Israel and Turkey.
  In our meeting with President Chirac it was clear that he saw that 
United States polices in Iraq are beginning to work, that freedom might 
really take root in the Middle East, and that France and the rest of 
Europe had to be a part of this historic process.
  By working together with European leaders, President Bush has put our 
transatlantic alliance and relations with Europe back on a normal 
track. We came to agreement on some issues, agreed to work on others, 
and identified those where we differ.
  The list of results and issues addressed by President Bush during his 
trip is impressive and I want to highlight some of the major ones that 
fall into several categories:
  First, with respect to NATO, all 26 member counties have now agreed 
to provide some form of assistance to support the NATO mission of 
training Iraqi defense forces.
  With regard to Afghanistan, NATO continues to expand its role as the 
leader of the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, and the 
United States and NATO agreed to work toward merging the United States-
led Operation Enduring Freedom and ISAF into one allied command.
  With regard to Ukraine, strong support was expressed by NATO 
Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer and President Bush for the future 
accession of Ukraine into NATO.
  With regard to the E.U., the United States and the E.U. issued a 
joint statement in support of the people and the Government of Iraq.
  United States concerns were clearly expressed to the E.U. about 
lifting its arms embargo against China.
  President Chirac understands these concerns and there will be more 
United States and E.U. discussions on the embargo.
  The United States and Germany announced joint actions on cleaner and 
more efficient energy policies and on climate change, which will 
include: Joint activities to develop and deploy cleaner, more efficient 
energy technologies; Cooperation in advancing climate science; and 
joint action to address air-pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
  With regard to Iran, the United States and its European allies 
exchanged views on nuclear weapons in Iran and agreed to that it is not 
in the world's interest and that a common approach on this issue should 
be developed.
  The United States agreed to take a more proactive role in the 
European-led negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.
  With regard to Russia, President Bush made clear to President Putin 
the importance of promoting democracy in Russia.
  Both presidents announced cooperation in combating the spread of man-
portable air-defense systems or MANPADS.
  Both agreed that Iran and North Korea should not have nuclear 
weapons.
  Both voiced strong support for a peace agreement between Israel and 
Palestine.
  Presidents Bush and Putin announced six areas, called the Bratislava 
initiatives, designed to bring Russia and the United States closer 
together. These initiatives are: nuclear security cooperation, World 
Trade Organization, energy cooperation, counterterrorism, space 
cooperation, and humanitarian, social, and people-to-people programs
  With regard to Lebanon, President Bush and President Chirac jointly 
announced their condemnation on the assassination of former Lebanese 
Prime Minster Rafiq Hariri and pledged their mutual support for a free, 
independent, and democratic Lebanon.
  I began my remarks by stating that President Bush's European trip was 
historic and productive. The partial list of issues I just mentioned 
clearly shows how much President Bush and European leaders have moved 
beyond policy differences over Iraq and that we share a common vision 
for a peaceful, democratic world. We may not always agree on how to 
reach our objectives, but we can agree on what those objectives are.
  Our remaining challenge to further strengthen our ties with Europe is 
to change the negative perception that many average Europeans have of 
the United States. This is where the media can, and should, play a 
constructive role by balanced reporting on the true state of our 
relationship with Europe.
  Let me repeat that we have far more in common with Europe than the 
differences between us and President Bush made great strides in 
promoting our common vision of the world with our allies.
  It is now up to the rest of us to reinforce the President's message 
of working with our European allies, just as it is up to the Europeans 
to understand that President Bush's goal of promoting freedom around 
the world is a perpetual one that is in all mankind's interest to 
promote.
  I close by commenting on some statements that were made yesterday in 
a hearing. In the Senate Armed Services Committee, under the leadership 
of Senator John Warner and Senator Carl Levin, we had General Jones, 
General Abizaid, and General Brown, who represent the commands 
responsible for the Iraqi conflict. In his opening statement, General 
Abizaid made the comment that as a result of what

[[Page S1891]]

has happened in Iraq, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Afghanistan, we 
have now seen free and open elections in Afghanistan, and we have seen 
free and open elections in Iraq. We have seen an election take place in 
Saudi Arabia that were it not for the conflict in Iraq would never have 
happened. We have seen the people in Lebanon rise up against their 
Syrian invaders and put pressure on the Syrian Government to return 
that country to the people of Lebanon.
  We have seen the Government of Libya turn over their nuclear weapons 
to the IAEA and to the United States for examination, to rid their 
country of the potential to have any nuclear weapons.
  We have seen the leader of Egypt now proclaim he wants to see 
democratic elections in his country for the first time.
  There are any number of instances that have occurred and are going to 
occur in the Middle East, a part of the world where violence has 
prevailed for decades, and where the terrorist community has trained 
and perpetuated itself for decades. Were it not for the vision of 
President Bush relative to the freedom of the Iraqi people, were it not 
for the support of Congress and the American people of that vision, and 
were it not for the strong leadership of our military, the strongest, 
greatest fighting force in the world, those events General Abizaid 
ticked off yesterday simply would not have happened.
  If he had come in 12 months ago and said here is what is going to 
happen in the Middle East over the next year, no one would ever have 
believed that what he said would come to be true. The fact is it did. 
The fact is the people of Iraq are moving toward freedom and democracy. 
The fact is that now, after President Bush's highly successful trip to 
Europe, the Europeans have a better understanding of the importance of 
the transatlantic alliance working together to promote our president's 
vision of freedom throughout the world.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas is recognized.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I will take the remaining time on the 
Republican side. I thank my colleagues, Senator Warner, Senator 
McConnell, and Senator Chambliss, for laying out the leadership our 
President has shown in going overseas, talking about our fight for 
freedom, and showing it is a fight for freedom for every country that 
has a democracy, and that it should also be a shared responsibility.
  I appreciate the President's leadership and our Senators for talking 
about what is happening. It is incredible, the changes we are seeing in 
the world because of the President's steadfast determination that we 
are going to do the right thing, that America will be the banner of 
freedom throughout the world, and that we could use help from our 
allies and hopefully they will understand and agree it is a shared 
responsibility for all the freedom-loving peoples of the world.

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