WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) said on Thursday he wanted to set aside U.S. "frustration and disappointment" over French opposition to the Iraq (news - web sites) war during his upcoming Europe trip.
Bush leaves on Friday for Poland, first stop on a week-long trip that will take him to Russia, France, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar. It will be his first trip to Europe since the Iraq war and the bitter transatlantic debate that preceded it.
At the Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, Bush will be grouped with the main opponents of the Iraq war: French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites). He will meet privately with Chirac and Putin but not Schroeder.
In a round-table interview with foreign journalists, Bush said he knew reporters would want to portray the summit as a "confrontational meeting" but insisted this will not happen.
"Absolutely not," Bush said. "It's an opportunity to talk with some who agreed with us on Iraq, and some who didn't, about how we move forward."
During the interview, Bush smiled at a French reporter and said "Vive La France!" But he also made clear his continued annoyance at Chirac for leading the opposition to a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have authorized military force against Iraq and given Bush more political cover.
"Listen, let me be realistic. There is a sense of frustration and disappointment among the American people toward the French decision. That's realistic. People didn't understand the decisions by the French leadership to thwart the American desire and the desire of others to work on security and freedom."
But Bush said this would not influence his policy and he looked forward to talking to Chirac and others who have agreed with U.S. policy on Iraq.
Perhaps seeking to forestall European criticism that the United States has failed to uncover Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Bush cited suspected mobile biological weapons labs as substantial proof and said recently discovered mass graves showed Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s brutality.
Bush said nothing about Schroeder, who irked the president by campaigning for re-election against U.S. policy in Iraq. But he had glowing words for Putin, suggesting U.S. relations with Russia were on the upswing again after the war.
"Vladimir Putin and I do have a good relationship. And that is an important beginning in order to make sure the relationship is positive throughout our respective governments," he said.
Bush declared his support for Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (news - web sites) and said he would like to see the U.S. Congress lift the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a Cold War-era law that denies normal trade relations with Russia because of its previous controlled economy and restrictions on emigration rights. Putin has been campaigning to have it lifted and Bush blamed the U.S. Congress for not lifting it sooner.
Bush will start his trip in Krakow, Poland, to thank President Aleksander Kwasniewski for his country's support in the Iraq war. He will later attend ceremonies in St. Petersburg, Russia marking that city's 300th anniversary, attend the Evian summit. From there he will plunge into a round of Middle East diplomacy in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan, and then visit U.S. troops in Doha, Qatar.
Bush leaves on Friday for Poland, first stop on a week-long trip that will take him to Russia, France, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar. It will be his first trip to Europe since the Iraq war and the bitter transatlantic debate that preceded it.
At the Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, Bush will be grouped with the main opponents of the Iraq war: French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites). He will meet privately with Chirac and Putin but not Schroeder.
In a round-table interview with foreign journalists, Bush said he knew reporters would want to portray the summit as a "confrontational meeting" but insisted this will not happen.
"Absolutely not," Bush said. "It's an opportunity to talk with some who agreed with us on Iraq, and some who didn't, about how we move forward."
During the interview, Bush smiled at a French reporter and said "Vive La France!" But he also made clear his continued annoyance at Chirac for leading the opposition to a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have authorized military force against Iraq and given Bush more political cover.
"Listen, let me be realistic. There is a sense of frustration and disappointment among the American people toward the French decision. That's realistic. People didn't understand the decisions by the French leadership to thwart the American desire and the desire of others to work on security and freedom."
But Bush said this would not influence his policy and he looked forward to talking to Chirac and others who have agreed with U.S. policy on Iraq.
Perhaps seeking to forestall European criticism that the United States has failed to uncover Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, Bush cited suspected mobile biological weapons labs as substantial proof and said recently discovered mass graves showed Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s brutality.
Bush said nothing about Schroeder, who irked the president by campaigning for re-election against U.S. policy in Iraq. But he had glowing words for Putin, suggesting U.S. relations with Russia were on the upswing again after the war.
"Vladimir Putin and I do have a good relationship. And that is an important beginning in order to make sure the relationship is positive throughout our respective governments," he said.
Bush declared his support for Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization (news - web sites) and said he would like to see the U.S. Congress lift the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a Cold War-era law that denies normal trade relations with Russia because of its previous controlled economy and restrictions on emigration rights. Putin has been campaigning to have it lifted and Bush blamed the U.S. Congress for not lifting it sooner.
Bush will start his trip in Krakow, Poland, to thank President Aleksander Kwasniewski for his country's support in the Iraq war. He will later attend ceremonies in St. Petersburg, Russia marking that city's 300th anniversary, attend the Evian summit. From there he will plunge into a round of Middle East diplomacy in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan, and then visit U.S. troops in Doha, Qatar.
