WORLD> Middle East
Bush urges Europe for more effort in Afghanistan, Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-14 14:56

PARIS -- US President George W. Bush urged "powerful and purposeful" Europe on Friday to do more to help Afghanistan and Iraq.

In a keynote speech at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Europe must do more to help Afghanistan and Iraq overcome ongoing deadly violence, the same way the United States helped the continent rebirth from the ashes of War II and the early Cold War years.

"Our nations must ensure that Afghanistan is never again a safe haven for terror," Bush said, praising French President Nicolas Sarkozy for committing to send more troops to Afghanistan and for hosting a donors' conference for Afghanistan on Thursday.

The one-day conference garnered more than 20 billion US dollars to fund the war-torn country's reconstruction and development in the following five years.

"It is in the interest of every nation on this continent to support a stable and democratic Iraq," said Bush who just arrived in Paris from Rome.

On Iran, Bush stressed that "for the security of Europe, and for the peace of the world, we must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

One of the aims of his farewell tour to Europe was to press the Europeans to be tough towards Iran over its controversial nuclear program.

He said that a Middle East peace deal would be likely to be forged this year.

Bush hailed bilateral relations with France, saying, "What has not changed is the friendship between America and France."

"France was America's first friend, and over the centuries our nations stood united in moments of testing," Bush added.

"Recent history has made clear that no disagreement can diminish the deep ties between our nations," he said referring to the difference over the Iraq war.

In 2003 when the United States invaded Iraq, the French government led by Jacques Chirac vehemently opposed it, throwing bilateral ties into coldness.

He said his successor would inherit the "the broadest and most vibrant" EU-US ties ever.

Bush and First Lady Laura will dine with the Sarkozys Friday evening.

On Saturday, he will hold talks with Sarkozy before visiting an American cemetery and memorial for World War I and World War II fighters.

He will also visit the fort at Mont Valerien, where over 1,000 French resistance fighters were killed by German troops.

This is Bush's farewell European tour before leaving office, which has taken him to Slovenia, Germany and Italy. He will leave for London on Sunday.