PARIS, Dec 9 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush hopes to use his February trip to Europe to "mend" relations strained over the Iraq war, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday.
Confirming Bush would travel to Europe around February 22, he told France 3 television the president "hopes to mend ... the relationship with France" and other countries.
France was one of the fiercest opponents of last year's US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein, and Germany was also strongly opposed.
Powell, whose remarks were dubbed in French, said relations had not been as bad as portrayed, but in any case efforts would be made to improve them.
On Iraq, he reaffirmed Washington's commitment to break the insurgency and hold elections as planned on January 30, saying the rebels were terrorists who wanted a return to the days of Saddam.
Powell said the Iraqi people wanted to be able to choose their own leader, just like the people of Afghanistan, Georgia and Ukraine.
The US official was speaking from Brussels where he was attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers on his swansong trip to alliance headquarters before he steps down.
In Brussels, he again underlined the need for Europe and the United States to work together, in particular to revive the Middle East peace process.
NATO officials, who saw the organisation plunged its deepest ever crisis by the divisions over Iraq, welcomed the announcement of the February 22 visit as a chance to rebuild bridges.
12/09/2004 14:48 GMT - AFP