Washington -- The good news is that the United States and Europe are cooperating again; the bad news is that they are facing some of the world’s most dangerous, intractable problems, a senior U.S. diplomat says.

“Unilateralism is out. Effective multilateralism is in,” Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European affairs, said May 2 at a national conference of editorial writers in Washington.

Fried said the United States and Europe are “working to make NATO the centerpiece alliance through which the trans-Atlantic democratic community deals with security challenges around the world.” (See related article.)

But NATO is not a “counterweight” to the larger United Nations, Fried said.  The international organizations are “compatible,” he said, adding that NATO is different from the United Nations because it is an alliance of “trans-Atlantic democracy, so it’s based on underlying values,” and it also is a proven military alliance able to put together and deploy capable forces for specific missions.

Fried acknowledged that European publics remain “skeptical about the Bush administration” but said European governments no longer seek to “strategically” differ with the United States by promoting a unified Europe as a counterweight to the American superpower.

“The differences we have with Europe are, frankly, trivial compared to the magnitude of the problems that await us both in the world, and this is now the view that European governments share,” Fried said.

The 26-nation NATO alliance has no ambitions for becoming a global organization, he said. “But it is a NATO capable and actually, in fact, dealing with global challenges,” Fried said.

In Iraq, “I don’t expect that you’re going to have NATO putting in a mass of ground forces,” Fried said. But many NATO countries are contributing on an individual basis to the Iraq coalition, and NATO is helping both by politically supporting Iraq’s new democratic government as well as helping to train the Iraqi military, he said.

KOSOVO NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE

In Kosovo, Fried restated the U.S. position that a political settlement to the province’s status is attainable in 2006. The Kosovo province of Serbia has been administered by the United Nations since 1999. Negotiations began in February to determine whether it will gain independence or be an autonomous part of Serbia. (See related article.)

“Serbia has to be offered a path to Europe” and “can’t be sort of hung out to dry as a pariah,” Fried said. Human rights abuses against Kosovo in the 1990s were carried out under the government of Slobodan Milosevic, who died in March while standing trial in The Hague, Netherlands, for war crimes. “There’s a democratic government in Belgrade,” he said. “What happened in Kosovo is not their fault. These are the people who, by and large, helped overthrow Milosevic.”

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians, who make up more than 90 percent of the province, “also have a responsibility,” Fried said. “They have to treat the Serb minority population better than they were treated. … They claim the right of independence, and in our view, independence has to be earned and has to be based on their achieving and making commitments to achieving European norms.”

TURKEY'S BID FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

The United States also supports Turkey’s quest for membership in the European Union, but Fried said the decision is Europe’s to make, and Turkey must meet the democratic and economic criteria for membership.

He acknowledged that many Europeans have concerns about such a large Muslim population joining the European Union.

“The Turks will say democratic norms are consistent with Islam,” Fried said. Turkey also views itself not as an Islamic country but as a secular republic with an Islamic tradition, he said.

“Now can you imagine the potential upside?” Fried asked.  If an economically successful, democratic Turkey joined Europe, it would send a powerful message to the world that Islam can embrace democracy, he said. (See related article.)

The enlargement of the European Union has been “a great success, and [Europeans] should recognize this and let the Turks measure up” to the qualifications for EU membership, Fried said.

“What you’re seeing in Turkey is a democratizing society, and a growing culture of democracy colliding with a lot of the old more authoritarian traditions,” Fried said.  “It’s moving in the right direction, but you’re absolutely right.  It’s the Turks’ responsibility [to qualify for the EU].  No free ride, no lowering the bar, no moving the goal posts.”

For additional information on U.S. policy, see Europe and Eurasia.