gelatik
18.05.02, 16:07
Powell Accuses Europeans of "Bashing" U.S., Defends ‘Axis of Evil’ Offensive
LONDON, May 18 – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered a sharp attack
on European political leaders, accusing them of "bashing" America's war on
terrorism, days before U.S President George Bush sets off on a tour of several
European capitals, news agencies reported.
In an interview, published Saturday, May 18, with the British daily newspaper
Guardian, Powell claimed that contrary to the dominant European viewpoint, U.S.
foreign policy under Bush had been a resounding success.
Powell said that European criticism of Bush's "axis of evil" speech in January,
seen by many observers as marking the start of a decline in U.S.-European
relations, had been misplaced.
"The President said 'axis of evil' and it was amazing what happened after that
in terms of the criticism that came our way," Powell said.
"The President came up with a clever way of capturing them all and guess what -
the North Koreans now want to talk to us. The Iraqis are trying to pretend that
they're behaving better."
Powell said anti-Americanism in Europe partly explained a rise of anti-European
sentiments in the U.S. press. "To some extent it reflects the fact that we get
bashed all the time. I think it may be something of a counter to the speed with
which Europe always finds fault - some in Europe," Powell said.
"There are some in Europe who are quick to find fault with any position that
the United States might take that we believe is a correct, principled
position ... so I think there is something of a reverse spin coming back on the
rhetoric."
Bush, accompanied by his top diplomat, goes to Europe at a time of considerable
transatlantic distrust between the U.S. and its European allies over what
Europe believes is increasing American unilateralism, and what the U.S. sees as
a lack of European resolve in dealing with terrorism, reported Agence France-
Presse (AFP).
The Secretary of State's criticism is all the more pointed bearing in mind that
he is usually regarded as the most Europe-friendly figure within the Bush
administration, according to the Guardian.
Further evidence of the growing rift between the U.S. and Europe came Friday
night when the French president, Jacques Chirac, tore into what he called
American "unilateralism". In one of his most hard-hitting indictments of the
Bush administration, Chirac said its recent decisions to impose steel tariffs
and raise farm subsidies would harm the world's poorest nations, according to
the British daily.
Speaking at the end of a European Union summit with Latin American leaders in
Madrid, Chirac said that what the U.S. was giving to developing countries in
aid, it was now taking back in the form of tariffs.
Stressing his views, Powell pointed to the imminent enlargement of NATO (North
Atlantic Treaty Organization) around the borders of Russia and Moscow's
acquiescence in the proposed U.S. National Missile Defense (NMD) system as
positive achievements that flowed directly from America's determined stand.
Powell added to his critique of Europe by saying that Moscow's acceptance of
NMD and Washington's withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty
(on June 13), showed that European predictions of global chaos as a result were
misplaced. "The ABM treaty is about to lapse. The geo-strategic situation is
not collapsing and no arms race is breaking out."
He dismissed much of the European criticism as intellectual "churning" and said
the transatlantic relationship was fundamentally strong. He insisted that the
experience of the Afghan war demonstrated that NATO still had an important
function.
He said 14 NATO members were involved in Afghanistan, and when it was suggested
that that role could be a "token" of cooperation, Powell replied "Tell that to
the British troops."
