Brussels, 26/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - Sources close to the Luxembourg Presidency have confirmed that during his visit to the European institutions in Brussels on 22 February, in the afternoon President Bush will meet the heads of state and government of the 25 Member States. It will not be a formal European Council, or an EU/USA Summit (which is due to take place in June on an as yet unspecified date, probably in Washington). The Americans are so far refusing to confirm the practical arrangements for his visit.
Meanwhile; the Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner stressed on Tuesday in front of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee that during her recent visit to Washington, the new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had confirmed the Bush administration's desire to “revitalise” the trans-Atlantic partnership. “Although I do not believe that we will see a radical change of US foreign policy, the tone of our relations is definitely improving. On both sides of the Atlantic rational diplomacy and dialogue must be the order of the day”, she said.