President George W. Bush arrived in Brussels in February 2005 on a fence-mending tour of Europe, praising NATO allies for their contributions to training Iraqi security forces while making clear that European plans to repeal a ban on arms sales to China remained a serious concern.
All 26 NATO member states confirmed they were participating in the alliance's officer training mission in Iraq, including France and Germany, which had both opposed the 2003 invasion. Germany was conducting training in the United Arab Emirates; France offered police instruction in Qatar.
The China arms question dominated much of Bush's messaging. The European Union was weighing an end to the 1989 embargo imposed after the Tiananmen Square crackdown, and Bush warned that weapons transfers could alter the military balance across the Taiwan Strait. EU partners indicated they would seek a plan to address Washington's worries, though Bush said results remained to be seen.
On the summit sidelines, Bush held meetings with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and newly inaugurated Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, telling the latter that NATO's door was open if Ukraine pursued democratic institutions.
Bush was scheduled to leave Brussels on Wednesday for talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Mainz, then travel to Bratislava for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in February 2005, in its own words.