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CNN Saturday Morning News

Grading Bush's European Tour

Aired June 16, 2001 - 08:13   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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: And as we've been showing you live today from Slovenia, President Bush is wrapping up his week-long meetings with the key leaders of Europe. Right now he's meeting with Mr. Putin in Slovenia.

Joining us now to assess the results so far is Frances Burwell of the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.

Ms. Burwell, thank you for being with us this morning.

FRANCES BURWELL, ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Thank you.

NELSON: You know, I'm getting some mixed signals coming out of the reaction to President Bush's tour. We have seen demonstrations, notably in Gothenburg, but some of the editorial comment coming out of Europe has been rather interesting. They were calling him a bubbling toxic Texan at the beginning of the week and now people are writing a well mannered, nice man, though with steel in him. Another quote is he is brutally tough but he can be very charming.

So my first question is to you from this side of the Atlantic, how do you asses the president's trip? Has this charm offensive worked and what have been the drawbacks?

BURWELL: Well, I think that I have been somewhat disappointed about this trip. I think that on some issues there has been progress, notably NATO enlargement and missile defense. The president has managed to bring the Europeans closer to his point of view and of course now we have the statement that there will be invitations issued at the Prague 2002 NATO summit for new members.

But on some issues, such as trade and certainly climate change, there hasn't been the type of progress that one would have hoped for. I didn't necessarily expect everything to be nice and all problems to be resolved, but would have hoped for more progress than there has been. I also think that in terms of the general atmospherics, this administration has had somewhat of a rocky start with the Europeans and one would have hoped that we would have seen more development of consensus and understanding during this trip.

But it's not at all clear to me that President Bush has won over the European public and press at this point.

NELSON: Yeah, I was going to make that point. I was struck by the president saying unilateralists don't come and sit around a table and listen to other viewpoints. That point was well taken but in the same breath the president is saying to the European leaders that he intends to take the United States on a unilateralist course when it comes to the Kyoto treaty and even for the missile treaty. So I'm not sure what the president will have achieved once it's all over, once the charm offensive is done.

BURWELL: Well, I do think that on some things there has been a real conversation, such as NATO enlargement, and also on missile defense, the reports are now that there are -- there's not just two sides talking past each other. There is a real debate going on in Europe about the nature of the threat and how one might respond. But you're right in the sense that some of the statements, particularly before the trip, such as the statement that our climate change policy would focus on research, was something that in effective precluded, then, any real consultation with the Europeans once he got to Europe.

NELSON: All of this talk about security, of course, is coming to a head right now because President Bush is meeting with Mr. Putin in Slovenia. Do you have any thoughts about the importance of that meeting and also what can and needs to be achieved?

BURWELL: Well, I think that in terms of our relationships with the Europeans, as well as our own with the Russians, the main thing that needs to be achieved is to establish the -- a constructive dialogue. It's not that there need to be certain agenda items ticked off, but rather that there needs to be the basis of an ongoing and frequent consultation.

The Europeans, the two issues that they are, two of the issues that they are most concerned about, NATO enlargement and missile defense, their primary problems come from their concerns about how the Russians will react. And we have to convince our allies and the Russians as well that we will take their views into account, not necessarily giving the Russians a veto, but that this will be a genuine conversation.

NELSON: You know, the Europeans have gone to great lengths to try to include Russia as a European partner over the last few years, and particularly right now. Now, if as a result of this meeting Mr. Putin comes out and says I disagree with the president on NATO expansion, I disagree with him on missile defense, where does that leave European opinion at that point?

BURWELL: Well, I think that that would be a significant problem for the United States and for President Bush. I would expect that if Mr. Putin did come out of the meeting and say something like that, then NATO enlargement, particularly as concerns the Baltic states, of course, would become much more difficult in terms -- we don't have a whole lot of public support or public enthusiasm, I should say right now, for NATO enlargement in 2002. It's something the United States has grabbed and gone forward with and it will be difficult to get our allies to become enthusiast about that if the Russians state their opposition right now.

And the same with missile defense. As I said, the debate seems to be moving. There seems to be more of a genuine conversation but that could stop if the Russians say that they are unalterably opposed. However, I would be surprised if Mr. Putin were that hard in his response at this meeting.

NELSON: Well, we'll know probably by noon Eastern Time after the two leaders have come out and had a press conference.

Frances Burwell of the Atlantic Council, thank you for getting up early on a Saturday morning to come talk to us. Appreciate it very much.

BURWELL: Thanks for inviting me.

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