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Just before Bush kicked of his good-bye European tour, it was widely expected that Bush would not make substantive achievements since Europe was already coping with the aftermath of his presidency, and turning their eyes on his successor.
However, the U.S.-British special relationship did witness some highlights as Bush secured Brown's backing for Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran in his last leg of his farewell trip to Europe.
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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown attend a news conference at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Building in London June 16, 2008 |
BUSH, BROWN UNITED IN IRAQ
It seemed that Bush had been obsessed with Iraq war during his final European journey. But some European countries have distanced themselves from the U.S. by declaring pulling their troops out of Iraq. And it is also reported that Britain was considering to withdraw all its troops from Iraq by the end of this year.
In advance of Bush's arrival, Bush delivered a clear message to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, asking him not to announce a timetable for a British withdrawal form Iraq.
Speaking at an exclusive interview with The Observer, Bush said that the U.S. and Britain want to withdraw troops from Iraq but this should be "based on success" and not a "definitive timetable."
"I am confident that he, like me, will listen to our commanders to make sure that the sacrifices that have gone forward won't be unraveled by drawdowns that may not be warranted at this point in time. I look forward to discussing it with him," said Bush.
At a joint news conference with Bush following a meeting with him at No. 10 Downing Street, Brown showed his support to Bush by declaring that there is no "timetable" for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq.
"In Iraq, there is a job to be done and we will continue to do the job and there will be no artificial timetable," Brown said.
"We are making progress with training and with elections ... We are moving from combat to overseeing," Brown said.
Meanwhile, President Bush emphasized that troop withdrawal would depend upon success in Iraq.
"We are withdrawing troops from Iraq ... The plan is to bring them home based on success," he said. "We make our decisions in Iraq without an artificial timetable set by politics."
Dismissing reports on differences with Brown over Iraq, Bush said: "I have no problem with how Gordon Brown is dealing with Iraq."
"He's been a good partner," he added.