    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [February 27, 2004]
    [Pages 286-287]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The German-American Alliance for the 21st Century: Joint Statement by
    President George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
    February 27, 2004

        Today, we pay tribute to the deep friendship between the German and
    American people. The sacrifices of two generations, and the visionary
    leadership of our forebears, created the conditions for a Europe whole,
    free, and at peace at the dawn of the 21st century.
        We renew our determination to work together, and with our friends
    and allies in Europe and beyond, to achieve a more secure, prosperous,
    and just world. We are committed to strengthen transatlantic relations,
    and act in common purpose to address the challenges before us.
        The foundation of German and American relations remains our shared
    commitment to the values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law, and
    to economic opportunity and prosperity through free and open markets.
    These are fundamental to our own societies, and to our common efforts in
    meeting the great challenges of a new era: the nexus of threats posed by
    terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, tyranny, poverty, the lack of
    opportunity, and violent extremism.
        In this spirit, we commit our nations to an ambitious goal, rooted
    in our shared values and experience: to promote freedom, democracy,
    human dignity, the rule of law, economic opportunity, and security in
    the Greater Middle East. Fear and resentment must be replaced with
    freedom and hope.
        We must build a genuine partnership, connecting Europe and America
    with the wider Middle East, aimed at cooperating with the countries and
    peoples of that region to achieve these just objectives, and to live
    side by side in peace. Together with our friends and allies in Europe
    and the Greater Middle East, we will coordinate our efforts closely to
    respond to calls for reform in the region, and to develop specific
    proposals to put before the G8, U.S.-EU, and NATO Summit meetings, which
    will be held in June 2004.
        At the same time, we reaffirm our commitment to the vision of two
    states--Israel and Palestine--living side by side in peace and security,
    and renew our commitment to the ``Roadmap'' as the best means of moving
    forward toward that goal.
        We pledge to enhance the international effort to help the people of
    Afghanistan restore peace and security in their nation, including by the
    further expansion of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. We
    will also work together to achieve success at the upcoming international
    conference on Afghanistan, hosted by Germany. We welcome the agreement
    on a new constitution for Afghanistan, and place particular emphasis on
    creating the conditions for free, fair and peaceful elections in
    Afghanistan later this year.
        We are united in support of a free Iraq: a secure, unified,
    democratic, and fully sovereign nation, at peace with itself and its
    neighbors that will contribute to world peace and stability. We welcome
    and support the vital and growing role of the United Nations in Iraq,
    and look forward to the transfer of sovereignty to a new Iraqi
    government on July 1, 2004.

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        We are resolved to strengthen our economic relations by increasing
    opportunities for trade and investment between the European Union and
    the United States, and by promoting trade liberalization and economic
    development for all countries through the Doha Development Agenda
    negotiations. In the framework of the G8, we will cooperate to help the
    poorest countries benefit more fully from the global economy. We remain
    committed to our joint fight against poverty in the world, and we also
    undertake to tackle the scourge of HIV/AIDS and to cooperate to improve
    the world environment.
        We reaffirm our commitment to NATO as the anchor of our collective
    defense and an essential forum for transatlantic consultations. We
    underscore our support for the continuing process of European
    integration and stress the importance of Europe and America working
    together as partners in a community of shared values. We welcome the
    historic enlargement of both NATO and the European Union, which takes
    place this spring, advancing our goal to erase decades of division in
    Europe.
        With a common agenda of action, the German-American alliance will
    prove as critical to the advance of freedom, security, and prosperity in
    the 21st Century as it was in the second half of the 20th Century.

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint statement.