Rice urges allies to help in spreading democracy

PARIS – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reached out to estranged European allies Tuesday and asked them to “turn away from our disagreements” to help spread democracy throughout the world, especially the Middle East.

In a speech to France’s political and intellectual elite, Rice said the United States “had everything to gain from having a stronger Europe as a partner in building a safer and better world.”

Her comments appeared to contrast with past remarks by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that the continent is divided between an “Old Europe” – led by France and Germany – that rejects U.S. policies and a “New Europe” – led by Britain and some former Warsaw Pact nations – that supports them.

Rice’s speech echoed President Bush’s inauguration address, which focused on freedom and democracy and sought to move beyond the focus on the war on terrorism. “Americans and Europeans have enjoyed our greatest successes for ourselves and for others, when we refused to accept an unacceptable status quo, but instead put our values to work for the cause of freedom,” she said.

The secretary appealed to the shared history and values of France and the United States, noting that both countries are the product of people who sought freedom and democracy.

She drew analogies between the effort to rebuild the trans-Atlantic relationship and the post-World War II era when alliances such as NATO and the European Union were launched. Now, she said, “Our charge is clear: We on the right side of freedom’s divide have an obligation to help those unlucky enough to have been born on the wrong side of that divide.”

In a gesture that sought to dispel the view that America cares little for European allies’ opinions, she said, “Let each of us bring to the table our ideas, our experience and our resources. And let us discuss and decide – together – how best to employ them for democratic change.”

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, at a joint news conference later Tuesday, welcomed what he called “a new spirit that prevails between” the United States and France. Addressing the secretary as “Condi,” Barnier said, “The time has come to get off to a new start.”

Rice’s address was billed as her first major speech since she was confirmed as secretary of state. It came toward the end of an eight-day trip through nine countries and the West Bank aimed at mending a relationship frayed by the Iraq war and a hands-off U.S. approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during Bush’s first term.

By visiting Israel and the West Bank in her inaugural trip as secretary of state, Rice signaled a new, if cautious, U.S. involvement in trying to end the 4-year-old uprising. Tuesday, a day after Rice’s visit to the region, the Israelis and Palestinians announced a cease-fire aimed at re-establishing peace talks.

Rice’s decision to make the pivotal speech in France was significant.

“I think she showed guts in going to Paris, the belly of the beast, to remind recalcitrant allies of what unites us, not what divides us,” said John Hulsman, a Europe specialist at the Heritage Foundation, a think tank in Washington.

Rice addressed an audience of 500 at Sciences Politique, a political science school where debate over the United States’ role as the sole superpower has been intense. The reception was polite but restrained. Rice’s listeners never interrupted her speech with applause.

Rice goes to Brussels and Luxembourg today to meet with NATO and European Union officials.