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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush in Europe: U.S. President to Meet With British Prime Minister Today

Aired July 19, 2001 - 08:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: We begin in London, where the U.S. president is starting his mission to Europe.

Mr. Bush is at Buckingham Palace now. The president meets later with Prime Minister Tony Blair. They will discuss some of the key issues during this European visit. And they include a U.S. missile defense system, global warming and the Kyoto treaty on that issue, fighting the AIDS epidemic, and world poverty as well.

White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is covering the president's activities for us in London and joins us now.

That's a tall order, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is a tall order, Colleen.

And you know, the White House basically viewed the president's first trip to Europe last month as an opportunity for President Bush to get to know some European leaders and for those leaders to get to know him. And they view this second trip to Europe as an opportunity for the president to discuss, in greater detail, his priorities -- which, as you mentioned, include a push for a controversial national missile defense system -- and also his continued opposition to that international treaty known as the Kyoto protocol aimed to combat global warming -- the president definitely likely to discuss those issues, as well as others later when he gets down to business and meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

They will be meeting at the prime minister's official country home known as Chequers -- this, of course, following the meeting between the two men at Camp David earlier this year.

The president, though, before really getting down to business, has been taking in some of the sights here in London. He and the first lady, Laura Bush, read to some local schoolchildren at the British Museum. They also viewed the Cabinet War Rooms, these rooms created in 1939, a place where then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill plotted war strategy during those nightly German raids.

But there is an issue that is getting this White House somewhat angered on this day. And that is comments by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, talking about President Bush's handling of international policy -- the Senator telling the newspaper "USA Today" -- quote -- "I think we are isolating ourselves. And in so isolating ourselves, I think we are minimizing ourselves."

Well, Mr. Bush spoke with reporters a short a time ago. And he said the senator was breaking a long tradition between the two parties.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the things that America has prided itself on is a bipartisan foreign policy. And I would hope that that continued -- that tradition continues.

Important tradition -- I'd think the people -- I think the people of America appreciate foreign policy positions we have taken, that we're not retreating within our borders, that I will represent the American interests. And secondly, the world leaders have found that I am a person who speaks plainly and openly about key issues. We're willing to listen. But I will still continue to stand for what I think is right for our country and the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And we do know that the president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, has telephoned Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle again to express the administration's feeling that his comments were not appropriate. We don't have any reaction from Senator Daschle at this time.

Again, though, really the focus of the president will be on trying to offer some more details on his plans, again hoping to get the support of the British prime minister, Tony Blair. When it comes to his missile defense system, the British leader has been a little bit more open to listening to such a system, as compared to some other European leaders --Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Skip ahead if we can, Kelly.

Later in the trip, Mr. Bush is going to meet with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. When they sit down to talk about missile defense, any hint of a softening of the U.S. position or any kind of compromise that's being worked on, since Russia has been so concerned that the U.S. plan would effectively spark another arms race?

WALLACE: Absolutely.

That meeting, as you mentioned, will take place on Sunday when the two leaders are at the summit, the G8 summit in Italy. It doesn't appear that there is any softening, Colleen. But what you are hearing this administration do is send a message to Russia that it wants to try and build some new understanding, some new framework, maybe some new agreement that would allow the U.S. to move forward with this missile defense system. You are hearing the president say -- and other senior advisers -- that such a system is needed in this new world to protect the U.S., to protect Russia and European leaders. They are also saying that that Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which was negotiated between the two countries back in 1972, was done at a completely different time, when these two countries were enemies. And now they are friends. So they say that that treaty really should not dictate the relationship. They are looking to either amend that treaty -- which the Russians have not really expressed a willingness to do -- or maybe develop some new arrangements so that the U.S. can move forward without violating any agreements -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right, CNN's Kelly Wallace in London, thanks very much.

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