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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (37176)	2/6/2004 12:29:09 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

Mr. Goodwill is at it again, but that's "fairly normal". Rumsfeld not sorry for 'old Europe' comment MUNICH, Germany - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Friday he does not regret having referred to France and Germany as “old Europe,” a comment in 2002 that many Europeans took as an insult. "I’m too old to have regrets,” Rumsfeld said in an interview with several European journalists shortly before the start of a NATO defense ministers meeting. “No, I don’t regret it.” Although his remark may add fuel to an old fire, Rumsfeld said he had not meant to denigrate traditional U.S. allies Germany and France. He said his intention had been to distinguish between “old NATO” with its membership of 19 countries and the “new NATO” that is adding seven more. In Friday’s NATO talks, Rumsfeld was expected to endorse a plan to expand NATO’s troop presence in Afghanistan over the next few months and to repeat his suggestion that the alliance consider eventually taking over the entire military operation in Afghanistan. The ministers were expected to approve setting up five new civil-military reconstruction teams in Afghanistan this spring. In the interview with the European journalists, Rumsfeld also blasted the Arab satellite TV network al-Jazeera. “We are being hurt by al-Jazeera in the Arab world,” he said. “There is no question about it. The quality of the journalism is outrageous — inexcusably biased — and there is nothing you can do about it except try to counteract it.” He said it was turning Arabs against the United States. “You could say it causes the loss of life,” he added. “It’s causing Iraqi people to be killed” by enflaming anti-American passions and encouraging attacks against Iraqis who assist the Americans, he added. 'Fairly normal' relations with Europe On Thursday, Rumsfeld said U.S. relations with Europe, which were badly strained by the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq, have returned to being “fairly normal.” Setting out Thursday on a three-nation European tour that started in Munich, Rumsfeld said that differences between allies are inevitable, and he dismissed suggestions that a major diplomatic effort will be required to mend fences. On Saturday, Rumsfeld planned to attend the yearly Munich Conference on Security Policy, which attracts officials, analysts and military leaders from around the globe. Throughout NATO’s 55-year history, he said, the trans-Atlantic relationship “has gone from little difficulties to things better, from little difficulties to things better — it’s been a pattern over my entire adult lifetime.” “I would say the relationships right now are fairly normal.” Rumsfeld also said that although NATO may get more involved in Iraq at some point, “Its first task really is to do well (in) the Afghanistan task” of leading the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, the Afghan capital, and managing civil aid teams in several provinces. msnbc.msn.com JMO lurqer