BRUSSELS, Dec 9 (AFP) - NATO welcomed Thursday confirmation that US President George W. Bush will travel to Brussels on February 22 to meet European leaders, calling it a new chance to bridge rifts over the Iraq war.
The date was set as US Secretary of State Colin Powell, on his swansong trip to NATO headquarters, underlined the need for Europe and America to work together, in particular to revive the Middle East peace process.
"We cannot rest on our accomplishments. We cannnot take our cooperation for granted and we cannot assume that our shared values will overcome all our disagreements," Powell told his NATO counterparts.
"America and Europe together through NATO and other transatlantic institutions must make their top priority the pursuit of our shared vision of a free peaceful and democratic broader Middle East," he added.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was plunged into its deepest ever crisis by last year's Iraq conflict, with a group of anti-war countries led by France and German opposing the US-led attack to topple Saddam Hussein.
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was the first foreign dignitary received by Bush at the White House after his November 2 elections, fueling hope of a renewed US commitment to the Alliance.
And NATO officials suggested Thursday that a summit may well be organized around Bush's February visit, which was announced by the US president after his re-election last month.
"There is no question that we see President Bush's decision to come to NATO early in his second term ... as a very strong signal that he is reaching out to Europe," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said.
"NATO is all about bridging, bringing together Europe and North America," he told AFP. "NATO wants to help the two sides grasp even more tightly each other and move forward together," he added.
Officials accompanying Powell declined to confirm the date. But a NATO official speaking under cover of anonymity said "the visit has been confirmed" and that Powell had informed the other ministers.
And he added: "I expect that it would indeed be a summit (of NATO heads of state and governnment), but we will have to wait to confirm."
Powell was attending the NATO talks on what could well be his last trip as US secretary of state before stepping down to be replaced by current US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, speaking as the longest-serving foreign minister present at the meeting, hailed his diplomacy, according to a diplomat who was in the room.
Fischer "welcomes the (February) visit which means a chance for a new transatlantic consensus," added the source.
Powell, in his address, said that the US-led conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq showed that "sometimes a fundamental transformation requires the use of military force after we have exhausted diplomatic and other means".
He added: "The United States and Europe must work in partnership using the different assets and abilities we bring to the table to advance the values of freedom and peace, the values upon which (NATO) was built over 55 years ago."
NATO officials said Powell was given a warm sendoff at his last full NATO ministerial meeting.
"There were very very warm words from all the foreign minister on how much they appreciated the contribution he has made to this alliance," said a NATO official.

12/09/2004 13:59 GMT - AFP