BERLIN (IPS)�In a major speech to the German parliament May 23, President George W. Bush called upon Europe to continue its support of the U.S.-led war against global terrorism, declaring that "terror cannot be appeased."

"In this war, we defend not just America or Europe, we defend civilization itself," said President Bush, mindful of criticism in Europe that U.S. is pushing its own national interests in the war against terror, which do not necessarily coincide with Europe�s.

Mr. Bush was ending a visit to Germany and starting a weeklong tour of Europe that includes France, Italy and Russia. His speech at the historic Reichstag building which houses the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany�s parliament, was directed at all of Washington�s allies, many of them extremely critical of U.S. policies.

During his European tour, Mr. Bush spelled out specific threats to each country, diplomats said. They said this was in order to drum up further support for his war against terrorism as the wave of sympathy and support in the wake of Sept. 11 begins to fade in Europe.

"This war is far from over," he reminded his audience of German deputies, many of whom were called back for a special session of parliament.

Mr. Bush�s rallying cry comes as many European countries have been reluctant to back an extension of the war against terror to Iraq, and a growing sentiment that Washington expects Europe to follow the U.S. blindly into war.

Javier Solana, the EU�s foreign policy representative, characterized divisions between the U.S. and Europe in a recent newspaper interview by saying "in the U.S. there is growing impatience with European allies who are accused of constant carping in the sidelines. In Europe, complaints abound about insensitivity in Washington and U.S. unilateralism."

"There is a perception that Europe offers too much talk and too little action while the reverse applies to the U.S.," said Mr. Solana.

Mr. Bush acknowledged that differences existed but insisted they should not get in the way of a common goal. "The magnitude of our shared responsibilities overshadows our differences," he told German parliamentarians.

Mr. Bush described Germany as an "incredibly important ally" and praised Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder�s support for the war against terrorism.

Germany has sent soldiers to Afghanistan�the first time it has dispatched troops outside Europe since World War II.

Mr. Schroeder has also been at pains to emphasize the friendly state of relations and the "large element of agreement" between Germany and the U.S., particularly as mass protests met Bush�s arrival in Berlin.

In Germany, in particular, where there is a strong tradition of pacifism, thousands of protesters have continued to demonstrate against Mr. Bush�s policies, not just on Afghanistan and Iraq, but also the environment and trade�in particular criticizing "globalization" as a way for international companies to avoid their "social responsibilities."

Passions were running high in Berlin�s streets May 21-22, with several running battles erupting between demonstrators and police, shop windows smashed in and bottles thrown.

Demonstrators burned the U.S. flag and waved placards, which said "War is terror" and "We don�t want your wars, Mr. President."

"The right to defend itself used by the U.S. government after the Sept. 11 attacks have long since become an excuse for waging war," said Rainer Braun from Axis for Peace, which coordinated mass demonstrations in Berlin and includes several political parties. "We want to make it clear that (Mr. Bush�s) use of the events of Sept. 11 to wage war around the world is not acceptable."

"Never has a president of the United States been so foreign to us, and never have German citizens been so skeptical about the policies of their most powerful of allies," said an editorial in the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.

The German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel found in a survey that Mr. Bush and his policies were deeply unpopular among the German people, with an approval rating of only 19 percent.

European diplomats said the sentiments in the streets, although not the manner of expressing them, were echoed in higher diplomatic and official circles.

Many parliamentarians and officials believe Mr. Bush�s approach to terrorism is simplistic and arrogant. Edmund Stoiber, the conservative candidate for chancellorship challenging Mr. Schroeder in this fall�s national elections, and allied to a party which normally wholeheartedly backs Washington, has said that Germans did not see Iraq as a danger the way Washington does.

That ambivalence towards U.S. policies continued to be apparent despite the show of friendship and amicability at the Chancellery in Berlin.

In a joint press conference in the Chancellery gardens just prior to Mr. Bush�s Reichstag speech, Mr. Schroeder skirted the issue of action against Iraq, saying Mr. Bush had said quite clearly there was no concrete plan for military action on the U.S. president�s desk.

"I have taken note of the fact that the (U.S.) president does think of all the alternatives," Mr. Schroeder said, adding that President Bush had promised no action would take place without consultation with the European allies.

President Bush wrapped up his trip by stopping in Rome for a May 27 Russia-NATO meeting, where the onetime enemy joined the Western alliance as a limited partner and ally against terror.

"Two former foes are now joined as partners, overcoming 50 years of division and a decade of uncertainty," President Bush, as the NATO-Russia Council was formed with the leaders of 19 NATO member-states on hand to witness the occasion.

"The attacks of September the 11th made clear that the new dangers of our age threaten all nations, including Russia. The months since have made clear that by working together against these threats, we multiply our effectiveness," Mr. Bush told the leaders.

He called the NATO-Russia Council an "opportunity to move forward together on common challenges, and to begin building ties that can be expanded far into the future. We will start with areas where our ability to help one another as equal partners is unmistakeable, areas such as countering terrorism, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, emergency planning and search and rescue operations at sea," Mr. Bush said.

A one-on-one meeting with Pope John Paul at the Vatican closed out the trip later that day.

PHOTO CAPTIONS
Bush in Germany F/12.jpg: Members of the German ex-communist Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) hold up a banner May 23 reading: �Mr. Bush and Mr. Schroeder�Stop Your Wars,� during George W. Bush's speech at the German Bundestag. Photo: AFP