Rumsfeld unapologetic on Iraq war, but reaches out to Europe
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld unapologetically defended the Iraq war yesterday at a conference with some of its most staunch opponents, saying it had made "the world a safer place today."
Returning to the scene of a dramatic clash last year with Germany's foreign minister during the buildup to war, Rumsfeld said the ouster of Saddam Hussein served as a potent warning to countries with weapons of mass destruction.
"I know in my heart and my brain that America ain't what's wrong with the world," Rumsfeld told the annual conference of leading experts and officials from some 50 countries.
He listed crimes and atrocities by Saddam's former regime and, raising his voice, derided those who "said it didn't matter who won."
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, speaking before Rumsfeld, said the Germans "were not, and are still not, convinced of the validity of the reasons" - repeating phrasing that angered Rumsfeld at the conference a year ago.
But Rumsfeld and Fischer emphasized the message that both camps now want to look to the future.
Fischer called for Europe and the United States to join together in a broad effort to bring peace and stability to the Middle East.
A major push to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, fight terrorism and promote economic development in the Middle East would help heal the trans-Atlantic rift, Fischer said.
"Neither the United States nor Europe and the Middle East itself can tolerate the status quo in the Middle East any longer," Fischer told the audience, which included Rumsfeld.
Rumsfeld expressed support for Fischer's proposals, saying the NATO alliance could help Middle Eastern countries beef up their security forces and serve as a catalyst for economic and democratic change, like in eastern Europe after the fall of communism.