Rice- Europe ready to move beyond difference with U.S.

WARSAW, Poland -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday that European allies have told her they're ready to move on from the sometimes rocky relations brought on by the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Visiting one of the United States' most durable allies in Iraq, Rice thanked Poland for placing troops in Iraq early and keeping them there. Poland plans to reduced its troops, currently at about 2,500, by 800 troops later this year.

Standing with the prime minister, Marek Belka, Rice made a special point to express condolences for the loss of Polish life in Iraq.

"That effort on the behalf of democracy and freedom is much appreciated," Rice said.

Following a meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld, Rice told reporters, "I think what we're hearing from Europe is a desire to move on to the next chapter in this great alliance."

Rotfeld said the Iraq elections last Sunday allow more flexibility for the coalition.

Successful elections could also give Polish leaders more options at home, where some 75 percent of Poles disagree with continued Polish presence in Iraq.

Rotfeld also said it's time to change the subject from Iraq.

"The unfortunate concept of old and a new Europe is a total misunderstanding," he said.

His comment was a reference to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld distinguishing between opposition to the U.S. Iraq policy in places like France and Germany and help from countries like Poland.

The comment, in which he called France and Germany, "old Europe" caused bad blood in the run-up to the Iraq war.

Iraq topped Rice's agenda. Poland is also seeking an easing of visa requirements for Poles wishing to travel to the United States.

Earlier in her first trip as the United States' senior diplomat, Rice thanked Britain, America's staunchest ally in the Iraq war and pledged a "new chapter" in relations with Germany, which opposed the war but now wants to support democracy in Iraq.

Rice said her first stop was London "because we have no better friend, we have no better ally."

She was visiting Poland and Turkey on Saturday. Both are European countries that supported the U.S.-led war or its aftermath.

Calming waters still troubled by the war is a major aim of Rice's weeklong trip through Europe and the Middle East. Her jammed schedule takes her to two or three countries each day.

Rice seemed to make headway in Germany, where Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's government fiercely opposed the war and refused to commit troops.

"We have discussed this topic at length and we very strongly agree that what the country now needs is a perspective towards the course of democracy and stability for its future," Schroeder said through a translator after an hourlong meeting with Rice.

Russia was also critical of U.S. policies in Iraq. Rice, an academic specialist in the former Soviet Union and a Russian speaker, holds a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during her visit to Turkey. Later in the trip, Rice will give a major speech in Paris, a venue chosen in part to answer continued French criticism of American foreign policy.

President Bush will make a separate fence-mending trip to Europe later this month, and will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rice will accompany Bush on that trip, and her current tour lays some groundwork.

At each stop, Rice talks about Iraq, but also about peace prospects nearby in the Middle East. She travels to Jerusalem for meetings Sunday with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, but won't attend a Mideast summit in Egypt.