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Iran to Face New E.U. Sanctions, Brown Says
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"It feels like we are moving into a different phase on this issue," Niblett said. "There is a building sense of European hardness on Iran. . . . For Bush it's always good to have the Europeans say they are being serious, because there is always a fear back in America that they are wavering."
But Julianne Smith of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington cast the announcement as merely a continuation of the sanctions policy pursued over the last three years. "Many European leaders are now waiting to see what the next U.S. president will do vis-a-vis Iran," Smith said. " . . . This will continue to be a sticking point in our relationship with Europe as both sides of the Atlantic differ on how best to balance carrots and sticks."
During the trip, Bush enjoyed warm welcomes from the leaders of Slovenia, Germany, Italy and France, as well as Pope Benedict XVI, and did not face the type of massive street protests common in the past.
In London, he received similar hospitality from Brown, who announced the addition of 200 troops to the British contingent in Afghanistan, which now stands at 7,800. Brown also denied British media reports that he planned to set a timetable for removing about 4,000 British troops who remain in Iraq.
Bush also met Monday with Brown's predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair, who closely supported Bush on Iraq and is now heading up international efforts to broker Middle East peace negotiations.
From London, Bush flew to Belfast, where he visited with the Protestant and Catholic leaders of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government. He said the success of the agreement in the British province could provide lessons for Iraq. Belfast was the final stop of the tour; Bush's plane then took off for the United States.
Staff writer Howard Schneider in Washington contributed to this report.
