Free Republic

France and Germany in Prague on Sunday (5 April) poured cold water on US calls to press ahead with Turkish enlargement. In a seperate development, Czech politicians named statistician Jan Fischer as the country's new caretaker prime minister. "The United States and Europe must approach Muslims as our friends, neighbours and partners in fighting injustice, intolerance and violence," US President Barack Obama said at an EU-US summit in the Czech capital. Moving forward toward Turkish membership in the EU would be an important signal of your commitment to this agenda and ensure that we continue to anchor Turkey firmly in...

The love-in between Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama proved short-lived after the French President warned his US counterpart yesterday to keep his nose out of the issue of Turkey’s membership of the European Union. President Obama used his first EU-US summit, on the eve of his visit to Turkey, to encourage European leaders to embrace the Muslim country and “anchor it in Europe”. However, Mr Sarkozy, a long-standing opponent of full membership for Turkey, rebuffed the US leader in language that seemed to sour the revival of Franco-US relations. Support for Turkey in joining the EU, a process that it...

The love-in between Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama proved short-lived after the French President warned his US counterpart yesterday to keep his nose out of the issue of Turkey’s membership of the European Union. President Obama used his first EU-US summit, on the eve of his visit to Turkey, to encourage European leaders to embrace the Muslim country and “anchor it in Europe”. However, Mr Sarkozy, a long-standing opponent of full membership for Turkey, rebuffed the US leader in language that seemed to sour the revival of Franco-US relations. Support for Turkey in joining the EU, a process that it...

PRAGUE (AFP) – President Barack Obama said Sunday the United States was ready to take the lead in tackling climate change, as EU leaders pushed him to follow their ambitious targets to combat global warming. "To protect our planet, now is the time to change the way that we use energy," Obama told a crowd gathered at Prague Castle for his only public speech during his maiden tour of Europe. "Together we must confront climate change by ending the world's dependency on fossil fuels by tapping the power from the sources of energy like the wind and the sun and...

EU-US summit gives wide support to reform in Middle East POL-EU-US-MIDEAST EU-US summit gives wide support to reform in Middle East VIENNA, June 22 (KUNA) -- The United States of America and the European Union (EU) voiced determination to continue assisting reforms in the Medditerranean and the Middle East and boost broad participation of the civic society. In the final declaration issued following the American-EU summit in Vienna on Wednesday, the two sides sides expressed support for the Barcelona Process, the European neighbourhood policy, the partnership in the Middle East initiative and joint measures in the Middle East and North...

A coalition calling itself "Bush Go Home" said Monday it hoped some 10,000 to 15,000 demonstrators will take to the streets of Vienna Wednesday to protest against the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush. "The name George Bush, the name of the American president, has become a symbol for war crimes, for Abu Ghraib, for Guantanamo, for Jenin, said organizer Michael Proebsting, a member of the Austrian faction of the League for the Fifth International. The coalition is made up of groups including the Communist Initiative, the Anti-Imperialist Coalition and representatives from Austria's Turkish, Syrian, Iraqi and Palestinian communities....

US President George Bush tried to heal the damaging rift between America and Europe over the war in Iraq yesterday by declaring that the "bitter differences" of a year ago no longer existed. Bush was speaking after an EU-US summit at Dromoland Castle in Co Clare, western Ireland, at which the transatlantic allies struck a series of agreements to mark the rebuilding of bridges following two years of quarrelling. Thousands of anti-war demonstrators mounted a nearby protest against US policies in Iraq, where power is due to be handed back to the new Iraqi regime later this week. But at...

EU looks to bridge gap with US In short: The EU's leaders are rethinking their relations with the US after the Iraq war and plan to use the EU-US summit in Washington on 25 June to refocus priorities. Background: The Iraq war has laid low the EU's transatlantic ties, and the EU summit in Greece has now decided to make an attempt to rethink EU-US relations and to formulate a joint European security policy strategy. Issues: At the EU-US summit in Washington on 25 June, Europe's leaders will attempt to convince their American counterparts that they too recognise the...

BRUSSELS, Belgium - After a taste of the sour political mood in Brussels, I can only wonder how President Bush will feel today, during his annual summit meeting with leaders of the European Union. As these meetings are held in the White House, Mr. Bush hardly has much of a choice -- short of sending Laura down to see these gentlemen instead. It is certainly time to find a more civilized tone between the United States and the European Union, whose member countries found themselves in massive disagreement over U.S. policy in Iraq -- with France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg...

EU looks to bridge gap with US In short: The EU's leaders are rethinking their relations with the US after the Iraq war and plan to use the EU-US summit in Washington on 25 June to refocus priorities. Background: The Iraq war has laid low the EU's transatlantic ties, and the EU summit in Greece has now decided to make an attempt to rethink EU-US relations and to formulate a joint European security policy strategy. Issues: At the EU-US summit in Washington on 25 June, Europe's leaders will attempt to convince their American counterparts that they too recognise the...

European Union justice ministers have agreed a long-awaited extradition deal with the United States covering terrorism and organised crime. The agreement is part of the EU's response to the 11 September 2001 attacks, and will be signed at an EU-US summit in Washington on 25 June. It had been delayed for almost a year as EU officials sought and obtained the right to refuse extradition if a suspect faces the possibility of the death penalty in the US. European human rights groups have said the agreement is too vague and ambiguous. An accord allowing American and European police officers to...