Socialist pals
European Socialists promised yesterday to work to rebuild Europe's strategic alliance with the United States now that the Democrats are set to take control of Congress.
"Socialist leaders attending a meeting of the European Socialist Party in Oporto, Portugal, pledged that with the Democrats on the rise, strong ties could be renewed with the United States after years of cool relations with President Bush," Reuters news agency reports.
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was attending the two-day conference together with the leaders of leftist governments of several countries and party leaders from across Europe.
"We are not anti-American. We want the real America, your America," former Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the European Socialist Party, said in remarks directed at Mr. Dean.
"Europe needs an America that is back on track," said Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose country was hosting the meeting.
"We need, today more than ever, to reinforce and renew the strategic alliance between the United States and Europe," Mr. Socrates said. "We know that a stronger Democratic Party is key for this to happen."
Socialists, or center-left governments, currently hold or share power in just over half of Europe.
Mr. Socrates said Mr. Dean's Democrats "should know that they can count on European Socialists" for support. |
