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By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer SANTIAGO, Chile - President Bush (news - web sites) renewed his support Sunday for changes to U.S. immigration law that would allow undocumented laborers to work legally, but stopped short of pledging to Mexican President Vicente Fox (news - web sites) that he would push for enaction of the nearly year-old proposal. AP Photo (AP Video) Bush made plain that terrorism was his top concern when it came to immigration issues. "I explained to the president that we share a mutual concern to make sure our border is secure," Bush said after meeting with...

PARIS -- European allies alienated by President Bush's first four years in power offered Wednesday to let bygones be bygones, saying they want to work with the new administration and seeking, right from Day 1, to get the new White House to listen more to overseas opinion. French President Jacques Chirac, in a congratulatory letter, said he hoped Bush's second term "will be the occasion for strengthening the French-American friendship." "We will be unable to find satisfying responses to the numerous challenges that confront us today without a close trans-Atlantic partnership," wrote Chirac. He addressed the letter to "Dear George."...

France has hailed the US election as an important moment in world diplomacy calling it an opportunity to revive the transatlantic relationship - no matter who wins. Michel Barnier, the French foreign minister, declined to comment on the latest projections showing President George W Bush edging close to victory over Senator John Kerry. Relations between Paris and Washington have been strained since President Jacques Chirac opposed America's war in Iraq. But M Barnier told RTL radio: "I can... tip my hat to American democracy . "A new stage is starting. It is a very important moment for the world." He...

German Leader Seeks New Start From Bush By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer BERLIN - Germany's interior minister said it was time to put aside differences with the United States over Iraq look to the future as President Bush won a second term, but another senior official reiterated Wednesday that German troops will not join the coalition there. Ties between the two countries were strained by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's vehement opposition to last year's U.S.-led war in Iraq, although the two governments since have moved to repair relations. "America is a very important partner, if not the most important one...

Jerusalem, Israel, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- France began mending diplomatic fences with Israel Monday as French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier vowed in Jerusalem France would fight anti-Semitism. Barnier began a three-day state visit at a memorial for French Jews killed in the Holocaust before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the BBC reported. Barnier is the first senior French official to visit Israel since a spat between the two countries began earlier this year, when there was a rash of anti-Semitic attacks in France.

Consider the following parallel events. They happened within a 24-hour period last week: In Pakistan security forces killed Amjad Hussain Farooqi, a key figure in Osama bin Laden's terrorist group, accused of the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl and two assassination attempts on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. He was tracked down by a special military team. In Iraq a US air strike killed Saudi key al-Qaida operative Abu Ahmad Tabouki, believed responsible for beheading two Americans. And in Damascus, Syria, a car bomb killed Izzeddin al-Sheikh Khalil, top leader of Hamas and reportedly the main organizer of its terror...

Martin Indyk: Assad offering to make peace with Israel By Associated Press WASHINGTON - Syrian President Bashar Assad is offering to make peace with Israel and says he is ready to cooperate with the United States in stabilizing Iraq, a former senior State Department official said Wednesday. "Something is going on in Syria and it is time for us to pay attention," said Martin Indyk, assistant secretary of state for the Near East and U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Clinton administration. In a three-hour meeting with the Syrian president last month in Damascus, Indyk said he detected a "clear...

WASHINGTON - Syrian President Bashar Assad is offering to make peace with Israel and says he is ready to cooperate with the United States in stabilizing Iraq, a former senior State Department official said Wednesday. "Something is going on in Syria and it is time for us to pay attention," said Martin Indyk, assistant secretary of state for the Near East and U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Clinton administration. In a three-hour meeting with the Syrian president last month in Damascus, Indyk said he detected a "clear change" in Assad's views on a number of fronts. On peacemaking, Assad...

ISTANBUL, June 27 — President Bush reassured Turkey on Sunday that it was once again a friend in good standing, despite its refusal to support American troops in the invasion of Iraq last year. Meanwhile, administration officials pressed other reluctant NATO allies to commit themselves to rebuilding Iraq's security forces. On the eve of a two-day NATO summit meeting that will be dominated by Iraq and the rifts caused by the American invasion, Mr. Bush concentrated on the theme of reconciliation and on refocusing the alliance to use its military muscle in new ways, especially in Iraq. "We are going...

The "bitter differences" which divided Europe and America at the time of last year's Iraq war are over, US President George Bush said today. Mr Bush was speaking after an EU-US summit in Ireland at which the transatlantic allies struck a series of agreements to mark the rebuilding of bridges following two years of quarrelling. At a joint press conference at Dromoland Castle, Mr Bush, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and EU President Romano Prodi made clear their determination to see Europe and America work together for global prosperity, growth and security. "I think the bitter differences over the war...

June 10, 2004 Bush and Chirac Break Any Tension With a Joke About Food By TERENCE NEILAN The two world leaders looked like and proclaimed themselves friends today, with hardly a hint of the deep differences that divided them over the invasion of Iraq last year. President Bush did look a little restless at times, repeatedly tapping a foot on the floor as President Jacques Chirac of France spoke at the eight-nation summit meeting in Sea Island, Ga. But any tensions evaporated as Mr. Chirac paid his fellow leader what any Frenchman would consider the ultimate compliment: the food served...

PARIS — President Bush and French President Jacques Chirac pledged Saturday to work together to help rebuild Iraq , but they continued to remain at odds, as Chirac called the situation "extremely precarious" while Bush claimed major progress toward a free and democratic country. The leaders sought to emphasize their common ground as they prepared to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the D-day invasion, one of the moments when the United States and France were closest. But their ongoing differences over Iraq were clearly evident. During a joint news conference, Chirac said he was pleased that the "tyrannical regime" of...

PRESIDENT CHIRAC wants to use the D-Day anniversary to mend fences with the United States but he — and most of France — are adamant that President Bush should not confuse gratitude for wartime liberation with acquiescence on Iraq. France is marking its historic debt to the United States with an enthusiasm unseen for decades and M Chirac is rolling out the red carpet for Mr Bush at a private dinner in Paris before the beach ceremonies in Normandy on Sunday. However, France has no time for the parallels drawn by Mr Bush between the 1944 liberators of France and...

Old Rivals Turkey, Greece Pledge New Era in Ties Fri May 7, 2004 07:07 AM ET By Karolos Grohmann ATHENS (Reuters) - Turkey and Greece pledged on Friday to leave old rivalries behind and seek a "strategic partnership" at the start of a landmark visit to Athens by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Despite the failure last month of a U.N. bid to reunite Cyprus's Turkish and Greek communities, Erdogan's visit -- the first such trip in 16 years -- crowned a dramatic thaw in relations since 1999. "Let's leave the past behind us and look to the future. Let's...

LONDON (Reuters) - North Korea has vowed not to sell nuclear material to al Qaeda and called for friendship with the United States, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said top officials spelt out proposals for solving a crisis over North Korea's nuclear programs in a series of interviews with U.S.-based Korea expert Selig Harrison.In an article by Harrison published by the newspaper, North Korean leaders condemned al Qaeda and rejected accusations that they would be willing to distribute nuclear technology to other countries."We're entitled to sell missiles to earn foreign exchange," Kim Yong-nam, deputy to North Korean...

DUBLIN: Top EU officials called on Saturday for smoother ties between the enlarged European Union and the United States after relations were strained by the war on Iraq and by European military policy. "We are friends with the US, we are adult friends and we respect each other," European Commission Head Romano Prodi said at a press conference here on the day the EU welcomed another 10 members in to the fold. "We don’t do things in competition with the US... we do it because we do believe in the future of Europe. Otherwise, we would have done different things...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Spain's visiting foreign minister moved to soothe US anger at the Spanish decision to withdraw troops from Iraq (news - web sites) by promising future cooperation with the United States in the global war on terrorism, Middle East peace efforts and the Balkans. "We are looking to the future," Miguel Angel Moratinos said after meeting US Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites). "The decision to return the troops (from Iraq) is the decision of yesterday." Moratinos denied suggestions that his talks with Powell -- which came just two days after Washington scolded Spain for...

BEIJING (AP) - Three years after a collision between an American spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet pushed relations to a new low, Beijing and Washington are squabbling over human rights, visa policies and U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. This time, though, a delicate web of mutual self-interest - including fighting terrorism and encouraging trade - means both governments want to keep chronic disputes from spinning out of control as happened on April 1, 2001. The anniversary of the collision of the U.S. EP-3 surveillance craft and the Chinese J-7 fighter off southern China comes as the American and...

New French Foreign Minister Eyes Revived U.S. Ties Thu Apr 1, 2004 09:37 AM ET By Kerstin Gehmlich PARIS (Reuters) - Michel Barnier's toughest task in his new role as French foreign minister is to patch up ties with Washington -- and his moderate manner is seen going down better than that of flamboyant predecessor Dominique de Villepin. Barnier, 53, formerly a European Union commissioner, took on his new job in a French cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday after the conservative government's rout in regional polls. One French newspaper dubbed him a "plodding European, with no style," but analysts said those...

SYRIA has appealed to Australia to use its close ties with Washington to help the Arab nation shake off its reputation as a terrorist haven and repair its relations with the US. Secret talks between the two nations have been under way for months but have become more urgent as rogue nations reconsider their role in allowing terrorists to thrive, in light of the US determination to take pre-emptive military action. A Syrian embassy will be opened in Canberra in weeks and Australia is considering reopening its mission in Damascus. Australia's close relationship with Washington, and its much higher profile...