US has come a long way - Bush

2008-06-11 07:27

London - Barack Obama's victory in the Democratic primary is a "statement about how far America has come", US President George W Bush said in an interview published on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Times aboard Air Force One while on his way to Europe for an eight-day trip, Bush said that the focus of his remaining months in office was to leave behind multilateral frameworks for his successor to utilise to deal with pressing foreign policy issues, such as Iran and North Korea.

Acknowledging the historic significance of Obama's nomination, Bush added, though: "Having said all that, it's going to be important for the American people to figure out who can handle the task of the 21st century."

"It's a challenging job. It requires tough decision-making, clear thought and an experience level."

Farewell tour

Bush arrived in Germany on Tuesday for talks to be dominated by the Iranian nuclear programme, part of a farewell tour of Europe before he leaves office in January.

He told The Times that the focus of the last months of his presidency was "to leave behind a series of structures that makes it easier for the next president to be able to deal with the problems that he is going to have to face".

"The six-party talks, for example, in the Far East, in dealing with North Korea, the Iranian multilateral framework, hopefully a Palestinian state defined by Israel and the Palestinians."

Bush also pressed that multilateralism was key to dealing with Iran in particular, telling the daily that "when people get in and take an assessment of what will work or what won't work in dealing with Iran, they'll understand the wisdom of having not only our friends and allies in Europe at the table but also China and Russia."

On stalled negotiations for an international trade deal, Bush said there was "concern about protectionism and economic nationalism".

"Leaders recognise now is the time to get ahead of this issue before it becomes engrained in the political systems of our respective countries," he said.

Diplomacy

Of his use of diplomacy in the past, the US president acknowledged that "in retrospect ... I could have used a different tone" with regard to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the aftermath.

His use of certain phrases, such as "bring them on" or "dead or alive" indicated "that I was ... not a man of peace".

He also defended Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has been criticised for his ineffectiveness in ridding the Kabul government of corruption, describing Karzai as an "honest man" and a "realist" who was "working hard to help his country develop."

Bush's European tour will take him to Italy on Wednesday, then the Vatican, France and Britain.

- AFP