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American Morning

President Bush Meets With European Union Leaders Today

Aired June 14, 2001 - 09:09   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: The debate over the Navy's bombing range on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques may be coming to a close. A Bush administration official tells CNN exercises there will end in May of 2003 when the current agreement to use that bombing range expires. The island has been used for U.S. military training since 1941. The bombing range has been a target of protests since an errant bomb killed a civilian security guard in 1999.

President Bush's environmental policies brought out protesters today in Sweden where he's meeting with European leaders.

Our John King is traveling with the president, as he often does, on this five European nation tour. John joins us now, live, from Goteborg.

Morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Leon

This, stop three of that five-nation tour. As you mentioned, a great deal of criticism of the president's environmental record. On the streets here in Goteborg, protests. As many as 12,000 demonstrators on hand, many of them upset that Mr. Bush will not sign on to the Kyoto Treaty on global climate change.

And the inside, as the president meets with leaders of the European Union this morning, Sweden holds the rotating presidency of that organization right now, Mr. Bush facing criticism, more polite, but still criticism, from Europeans who say the United States should sign that treaty and agree to mandatory levels of reductions in the emissions of those so-called green house gases which many scientists, of course, blame for global warming.

Mr. Bush says he won't do that. He says the treaty would put the United States' economy at risk. He also says it's unfair because developing nations like China and India are excluded. That, the major controversy in his discussions today with members of the European Union.

Also, a great deal of criticism here, though, of Mr. Bush's support of capital punishment. That drawing attention, of course, in the wake of the Timothy McVeigh execution. And many European leaders also skeptical of the president's plan for a major new missile defense program. But in comments earlier today as those meetings got underway, Mr. Bush saying just because he and these European leaders will disagree on many things that doesn't mean they can't get along.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What the people of Sweden and Europe will realize is that my administration is deeply committed to a prosperous Europe and a whole Europe and a free Europe and we look forward to a constructive relationship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Police already reporting some clashes, relatively modest we believe so far, with those demonstrators. Again, as many as 12,000 here, many of them focusing on the president's environmental proposals. And as the president tries to get to know these European leaders better today, he's also looking forward to the final two stops of his trip. He travels to Poland tomorrow and then on Saturday, his first and a very important sit down with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin - Leon.

HARRIS: John King reporting, live, this morning, from Goteborg, Sweden. Thank you very much. We will see you later on.

Folks, you can visit an online special devoted to the president's trip this week at CNN.com/bushineurope. That includes the latest news and an interactive look at Mr. Bush's position, as well as Europe's view of environmental and defense issues -- all there at CNN.com.

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