| |
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
The Week in Germany: Politics February 25, 2005 Bush, Schroeder celebrate U.S.-German cooperation U.S. President George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder met Wednesday in Mainz, Germany, for talks described by the German leader as "tremendously successful" and "very friendly."
Standing side by side at a joint news conference in the same city where his father delivered a 1989 speech declaring the United States and Germany "partners in leadership," Bush called Germany "a partner in peace and a partner in freedom." "The United States relies upon our partnerships in the world to spread liberty and peace, to do our duties as a wealthy nation to help the poor and to work on matters such as HIV/AIDS," Bush told reporters after about 90 minutes of bilateral talks. "Germany is a partner. We share the same goals. We share the goal of a free and peaceful world," he continued. "I appreciate so very much the strong cooperation between Germany and the United States when it comes to sharing intelligence and to working together to find and arrest and bring to justice people who would do harm to our respective peoples, or anybody else in the world," Bush added. In a meeting that came on the third day of Bush's three-nation European tour, the two leaders said they discussed ways to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to further efforts aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
"Regarding the targets that we are trying to achieve, we are fully congruous. That is to say we absolutely agree that Iran must say 'no' to any kind of nuclear weapon — full stop," said Schroeder. They also signed off on a joint declaration on promoting efficient energy use and combating air pollution, especially in developing countries. "We had a very, very intense discussion and we basically covered each and every subject that is a high-ranking one on the international political agenda today," Schroeder said. Bush thanked Germany for helping to train Iraqi police and for forgiving the country's debts. In turn, Schroeder said that Germany would expand its efforts to support the newly-elected Iraqi government, in particular by providing expertise rebuilding democratic institutions. "Nobody wants to conceal that we had different opinions about these things in the past, but that is the past," said Schroeder. "Now our joint interest is that we come to a stable, democratic Iraq."
"I appreciate your kind words about Iraq and the need to put past differences behind us and focus on the people of that country," said the U.S. president. During his nine-hour stay in Mainz on Wednesday, Bush also met U.S. and German troops who had served in Afghanistan, including members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, to which Germany is the leading contributor. Later, the two leaders held a closed-door roundtable discussion with young leaders before Bush visited the Gutenberg museum with his wife, First Lady Laura Bush. He then left Mainz for nearby Wiesbaden to address U.S. soldiers. Bush wrapped up his trip to Europe — the first overseas destination of his second term — by meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slovakian officials in Slovakia's capital Bratislava on Thursday. A day before arriving in Germany, Bush met with EU and NATO leaders in Brussels, Belgium. Links:
|
|
More from Germany.info  Newsletters
 Printer-Friendly
Page
Email This Article |
||
|
|||||
|
|||||
