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American Morning

President Meets European Skepticism Concerning Missile Plan, Environment

Aired June 12, 2001 - 11:14   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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is in Spain this morning, the start of his first official visit to Europe. CNN White House correspondent Major Garrett is traveling with the president. He joins us now live from Madrid. Actually, it's John King once again joining us this hour. Sorry about the confusion, John. Good to see you, again.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Leon. Mr. Garrett out at a news conference where President Bush and the Spanish prime minister will speak later this hour, so you're stuck with me. The president, as you mentioned, this day one, his first stop on five-nation, five-day European trip.

A friendly reception here in Spain so far, but a great deal of skepticism and some confusion as the president makes the rounds. He's meeting here -- he met for more than four hours with the prime minister of Spain today. Earlier, he was greeted by King Juan Carlos here.

Mr. Bush will move on to a meeting of European Union and a meeting of the NATO allies as well. The questions at every stop about his plans for a missile defense. Many of the European allies skeptical. They don't see the threat that Mr. Bush sees to the prospect of a rogue missile attack from a nation, say, like Iraq or North Korea.

The allies upset at the administration for not supporting the Kyoto treaty on global climate change. That treaty, of course, designed to reduce those greenhouse gases that many blame for global warming.

Mr. Bush, though, saying as he made this trip that he hoped to prove to the allies, in his first round of serious consultations with them, that his administration would be a, quote, "trustworthy friend." Now, veterans of past administrations view this trip as a little bit overdue. They say it's not just any specific issue: Not just missile defense, not just global warming, that Mr. Bush has yet to explain his broad vision for the trans-Atlantic alliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMUEL BERGER, FRM. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think the challenge for President Bush in this trip is not just to correct the record on Kyoto and not just to try to get some good language out of the communique on missile defense, I think the challenge for President Bush is to make clear to the Europeans that America intends to remain a leader in the trans-Atlantic alliance, that we have a vision for that alliance, that we have a vision for our relationship with Russia, that we want to work with our Europeans to achieve a free, prosperous, stable trans-Atlantic and relationship -- relationship with Russia and that we have a vision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: This trip also includes, of course, Mr. Bush's first meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. The missile defense plan and the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty the United States want to scrap or amend; that sure to dominate those discussions. And as Europeans and the Russians take the measure of Mr. Bush on this trip, one interesting footnote, it also seems to be the people back home in the United States watching closely as well.

We asked in our most recent poll: Do you think world leaders respect Mr. Bush? Forty percent said yes, 46 percent said no. So, obviously Mr. Bush feels he has something to prove -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, thanks much. John King reporting live from Madrid, Spain.

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