The Hindu : Opposition to Bush's visit grows

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2003

International

International

Opposition to Bush's visit grows

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON NOV. 17. The growing opposition to the U.S. President, George W. Bush's visit to Britain this week was joined today by Robin Cook, the former British Foreign Secretary, who said he was `baffled' by the decision to give the American leader a full state visit after denying it to his predecessor, Bill Clinton, who had done much more to `advance' Anglo-U.S. relations.

Mr. Cook, who resigned from the Cabinet in protest against the Iraq war, said he was Foreign Secretary when the Royal Visits Committee "quietly dropped'' Mr. Clinton from the list of state visits because of his impending impeachment over the Monica Lewinsky case.

He said he was `bewildered' that the same committee believed that Mr. Bush had a stronger claim.

"President Clinton did enormous good for Britain, particularly in the Northern Ireland peace process where he was a great help and we never gave him a state visit. What I can't understand is why we believe that President Bush has done more for Britain, has been a closer friend to Britain or supporter of Britain's foreign interests than any previous American President,'' Mr. Cook said.

In a blistering attack in a BBC interview, he dismissed the Prime Minister, Tony Blair's talk of a "special relationship'' with the U.S. saying it had ended up as a "one-way street''.

He said a test of Mr. Bush's visit would be for him to "demonstrate that this relationship is a two-way street''.

Elsewhere, he likened Mr. Bush's visit to a "U.S. boss visiting his wholly-owned British subsidiary''.

Mr. Cook's criticism came as pressure grew on Mr. Blair to get Mr. Bush to lift the tariffs his administration imposed last year on steel imports, triggering threats of retaliatory measures by Britain and other European countries on imports from America.

The Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, warned of a "trade war'' with America if the tariffs, which have been declared illegal by the World Trade Organisation, were not lifted soon.

Her remarks were echoed by the chief of the Confederation of British Industries, Digby Jones, who asked Mr. Bush to show "political courage'' and end protectionism.

Mr. Bush arrives here on Tuesday evening, but the visit will officially start on Wednesday morning amid threats of nationwide protests by anti-war campaigners and civil rights groups.

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