NewsMax.com Wires
Thursday, June 14, 2001

Bush stopped short of saying the United States would unilaterally break with the 1972 Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty, which allies agree must either be amended or abandoned to allow for the White House's proposed missile shield. Some say the ABM Treaty is already void because it was signed with the now-defunct Soviet Union, which repeatedly broke the treaty.

"Rather than wait for hours of endless negotiations in order to show the world that we're sincere about peace, on the one hand, we will consult on defensive weapons. On the other hand, we'll move by ourselves on offensive weapons," Bush said during a news conference with NATO Secretary-General George Robertson after security talks at the alliance's headquarters.

Bush downplayed suggestions that his administration would be forced to withdraw from the treaty. He said he thought the United States and allies would eventually work out some sort of agreement.

"I don't think we're going to have to move, as they say, unilaterally," Bush said. "I think people are coming our way."

Bush's comments marked the second day of his five-nation tour of Europe, a trip devoted to softening European opposition to the missile defense initiative, which critics say risks sparking an arms race in Europe and Asia.

Bush says the United States and its allies need a missile defense system to protect themselves from missile threats by states such as North Korea, Iran, Iraq and Libya.

"There's some nervousness, but it's beginning to be allayed," Bush said of the concerns voiced to him by European leaders on the matter.

Controversy surrounding Bush's missile defense plan remains the largest among several issues facing Bush on his first trip to Europe as president. Security issues are also expected to dominate his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Another source of discontent is Bush's campaign pledge to reduce U.S. "peacekeeping" forces in the Balkans. The plan has opponents within the Bush administration, too.

Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld favor shifting the onus of NATO missions in Bosnia and Yugoslavia to European forces. But Secretary of State Colin Powell has signaled reservations about unilateral withdrawals.

On Wednesday, however, Bush seemed to soften his stance on troop reductions in the Balkans as fighting along the Macedonian border prompted questions about stepping up NATO military involvement in the conflict between separatist Albanians and Macedonian forces.

"We must continue the presence on the border to prevent insurgence and arms from reaching the Albanian extremists," Bush said. "But the sentiment I heard here was that there is still a possibility for a political settlement, a good possibility, and that we must work to achieve that settlement."

A European Army?

Bush also said it was in NATO's interest for the European Union to set up a Rapid Reaction force, a plan that has raised concerns as some fear it is the first step toward a European army distinct from NATO.

"A strong, capable European force integrated with NATO would give us more options for handling crises when NATO, as a whole, chooses not to engage," he said.

Issues surrounding Bush's withdrawal of support from the Kyoto climate accord threaten to overshadow the trip - even though none of Bush's Western Europe critics have ratified the treaty.

Bush said the treaty would be too burdensome on U.S. businesses and was unfair in emissions requirements on industrial countries vs. developing nations.

EU leaders have been openly pressuring the White House to either rejoin the 167 nations that claim to support the accord or come up with alternative proposals to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

But Bush strengthened his stance against the Kyoto Protocoal before leaving for Europe, saying in a Rose Garden statement that his administration would continue to fund research of climate change instead of regulating industrial emissions.

His latest proposals are likely to top the agenda in Gothenburg, Sweden, today, when Bush attends his first U.S.-EU summit.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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