Posted on 02/10/2005 10:11:57 AM PST by Alex Marko
BRUSSELS - The European Union on Wednesday (9 February) indicated that it would go ahead and lift its arms embargo on China despite repeatedly expressed concerns by the US.
"The European Union is moving to lift the arms embargo. The European Union cannot be accused of rushing into this", said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
Standing beside him during a brief stop on her whirlwind tour of Europe, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated the concerns the US has about the EU's intention to lift the embargo - imposed after the massacre of protestors in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
"We have made clear our concerns about the military balance, the fact that there are still American forces in that region", said Ms Rice.
"All we can ask is that the European Union is aware of our concerns, understands them fully and takes them fully into consideration", she added.
The EU is set to lift its embargo within the first half of this year but is in the process of making a general code of conduct on arms sales stricter.
However, Ms Rice also sought to play down differences between the two sides by stressing that Washington feels that it has been listened to.
"I really have to underscore how much the Europeans have tried to take account of our concerns. We are having fruitful discussions with our European allies ... I do feel we are being listened to".
This conciliatory theme was played throughout her trip to Europe which included visits to London, Paris and Berlin.
In an interview with Germany's biggest daily, the tabloid Bild, she spoke of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder being a "friend of America".
In Paris, she gave a keynote foreign policy speech and spoke of a new chapter in transatlantic relations.
At her stopover in Brussels she said that she felt her message was "getting through" even before she began her trip.
"I feel very good about what we have done here", she said in Brussels.
Responding to her, Mr Barroso said, "this visit will symbolise the strong and enduring bonds of transatlantic co-operation that are stronger by far than any differences that may have existed between us".
The seven-day trip to foster good-will in Europe comes just days before US President George W. Bush also makes the transatlantic journey.
He is due in Brussels on 21 February.
I predict something bad will surface...kinda like how we found out how Chirac had dealings with Iraq.
We need to withdraw from NATO and dirty nuke our bases after we leave them.
Nato is an instrumental US Foreign Policy enforcer.... but I agree with the military technology...i think we should severe those ties with Europe.
And so ends the American special relationship with Britain.
Please get real.
If it hadn't been for the Chinese square massacre the US, under Reagan and Bush Senior, would have continued to sell mil technology to China. Grumman had two Chinese J-8 FINBACK fighters in the US ready for upgrade with US radar and avionics technology. The incident in the square brought about the arms embargo and the two FINBACKS were returned in the mid 1990s. The Chinese turned to the Israelis for the technology that the US denied them.
It won't be US supplied technology or weapons, but homegrown. For example radars and other avionics. This won't even be top grade material, but older designs. May I remind you that the US in the late 80's was all too willing to supply radars and avionics to China.
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