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European Attitudes Toward the U.S.

Aired May 22, 2003 - 15:10   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.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: And now turning to international news, we'll check in there. After more than a decade of economic isolation, Iraq will soon be free of U.N. sanctions. The U.N. Security Council today approved a resolution lifting economic sanctions against Iraq immediately and abolishing the Oil for Food program in six months.
Fourteen of the 15 Council members approved the measure. Syria was absent. Iraq's revenue will now go into a development fund to be controlled by the United States and Britain.

The U.N. vote is a big victory for the U.S. and Britain and a sharp turnaround from their pre-war criticisms. Even France and Germany even supported today's measure. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, just returned from Germany. He has more on European attitudes toward the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): After war comes reconstruction. In this case, reconstruction of the war- damaged relationship between the U.S. and Europe. By supporting an end to sanctions against Iraq, Europe seems to be reaching out to the U.S. President Bush's response: yes, well we still got problems with you, like in Africa.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the continent. Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort.

SCHNEIDER: What is their problem?

BUSH: They have blocked all new bio crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears.

SCHNEIDER: European do have a big problem with President Bush.

VOLKER RATZMANN, BERLIN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: They don't like him and they don't believe him to be a real sophisticated politician who can take the steering wheel of the world.

SCHNEIDER: Part of the problem is Bush's language.

CAROLINE FETSCHER, COLUMNIST, DER TAGESSPIEGEL: People did not like Bush's language before the war when he started saying crusades, when he was talking about the axis of evil. That is something that people find not diplomatically enough.

SCHNEIDER: And style.

MARTIN LINDNER, BERLIN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: President Bush is too much Texas style for the most of the Europeans.

SCHNEIDER: Unlike, say, Secretary of State Colin Powell. Now, there's a guy Europeans can go for.

FETSCHER: He is somebody who has the poise, the stature, the statesman-like international approach that we like.

SCHNEIDER: But some Americans living in Europe say let's be honest. This is not about Bush.

JEFF GEDMIN, DIRECTOR, ASPEN INSTITUTE BERLIN: I think this was about America. It's about power. It's about weakness, it's about resentment, it's about envy.

SCHNEIDER: The European response? Maybe it is.

LINDNER: We have to not to think too much about the strength of the -- the power of the United States. We should think -- we should think about our weakness here in Europe.

SCHNEIDER: Europeans are beginning to realize an unpleasant truth. Europe's weakness is America's strength.

FETSCHER: They have no common foreign policy. So as long as that's the case, they are weak. And as long as they are weak, the U.S. is very strong. It's as simple as that.

SCHNEIDER (on camera): They say weakness invites aggression. In this case, weakness invites unilateralism. Somebody had to do something about Saddam Hussein, and somebody has to do something about the food crisis in Africa.

If the Europeans won't, the U.S. will. In its own way. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired May 22, 2003 - 15:10   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: And now turning to international news, we'll check in there. After more than a decade of economic isolation, Iraq will soon be free of U.N. sanctions. The U.N. Security Council today approved a resolution lifting economic sanctions against Iraq immediately and abolishing the Oil for Food program in six months.
Fourteen of the 15 Council members approved the measure. Syria was absent. Iraq's revenue will now go into a development fund to be controlled by the United States and Britain.

The U.N. vote is a big victory for the U.S. and Britain and a sharp turnaround from their pre-war criticisms. Even France and Germany even supported today's measure. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, just returned from Germany. He has more on European attitudes toward the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): After war comes reconstruction. In this case, reconstruction of the war- damaged relationship between the U.S. and Europe. By supporting an end to sanctions against Iraq, Europe seems to be reaching out to the U.S. President Bush's response: yes, well we still got problems with you, like in Africa.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the continent. Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort.

SCHNEIDER: What is their problem?

BUSH: They have blocked all new bio crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears.

SCHNEIDER: European do have a big problem with President Bush.

VOLKER RATZMANN, BERLIN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: They don't like him and they don't believe him to be a real sophisticated politician who can take the steering wheel of the world.

SCHNEIDER: Part of the problem is Bush's language.

CAROLINE FETSCHER, COLUMNIST, DER TAGESSPIEGEL: People did not like Bush's language before the war when he started saying crusades, when he was talking about the axis of evil. That is something that people find not diplomatically enough.

SCHNEIDER: And style.

MARTIN LINDNER, BERLIN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: President Bush is too much Texas style for the most of the Europeans.

SCHNEIDER: Unlike, say, Secretary of State Colin Powell. Now, there's a guy Europeans can go for.

FETSCHER: He is somebody who has the poise, the stature, the statesman-like international approach that we like.

SCHNEIDER: But some Americans living in Europe say let's be honest. This is not about Bush.

JEFF GEDMIN, DIRECTOR, ASPEN INSTITUTE BERLIN: I think this was about America. It's about power. It's about weakness, it's about resentment, it's about envy.

SCHNEIDER: The European response? Maybe it is.

LINDNER: We have to not to think too much about the strength of the -- the power of the United States. We should think -- we should think about our weakness here in Europe.

SCHNEIDER: Europeans are beginning to realize an unpleasant truth. Europe's weakness is America's strength.

FETSCHER: They have no common foreign policy. So as long as that's the case, they are weak. And as long as they are weak, the U.S. is very strong. It's as simple as that.

SCHNEIDER (on camera): They say weakness invites aggression. In this case, weakness invites unilateralism. Somebody had to do something about Saddam Hussein, and somebody has to do something about the food crisis in Africa.

If the Europeans won't, the U.S. will. In its own way. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com