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Bush wants strong relations with Europe - Powell
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said President George W. Bush wants to have a strong relationship with European allies during his second four-year term in office.
"The president wants to have a strong relationship with all the European friends and allies," Powell said on an airplane on his way to Mexico for an annual meeting between the North American neighbors.
Washington has had strained relations with some European countries, especially France and Germany, since the US-led war in Iraq began in 2003.
Powell said tight relations were part of Bush's goals for his second term, "notwithstanding any disagreements that we had in the past."
Bush was re-elected last week, defeating Democratic Senator John Kerry who during the election campaign accused Bush of alienating traditional allies.
Powell said foreign policy priorities include Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the African nations of Sudan, Liberia and Ivory Coast. He did not mention Iran and North Korea, which Bush designated as part of an "axis of evil," which included Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Powell also did not mention Latin America. He will participate on Tuesday in a meeting whose central theme will be immigration.
Powell declined to discuss his future in Bush's cabinet. Last week, Bush said he will likely reshuffle his team in his second term, and US media have speculated that Powell might be on his way out.
"I'm very pleased to be secretary of state," Powell told reporters on the plane. |
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