U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Saturday for the United States and European countries to put differences over the Iraq war aside and work together in the war on terrorism Speaking at a conference of the world's top defense officials including U.N. chief Kofi Annan, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and German Defense Minister Peter Struck, Rumsfeld said the fight against terrorism is not one that the United States could take on alone. "By now it must be clear that one nation cannot defeat the extremists alone..." Rumsfeld said. "It will take the cooperation of many nations to stop the proliferation of dangerous weapons ... and it surely takes a community of nations to gather intelligence about extremist networks, to break up financial support lines, or to apprehend suspected terrorists." "While there have been differences over Iraq, such issues among longtime friends are not new," Rumsfeld said. "But we have always been able to resolve the toughest issues." Struck opened the conference suggesting a move away from NATO as a vehicle for trans-Atlantic dialogue, proposing more direct coordination between the European Union and the United States. Reading a speech that was to have been given by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who canceled his appearance at the last minute after falling ill with the flu, Struck said NATO risked becoming outdated. NATO "is no longer the primary venue where trans-Atlantic partners discuss and coordinate strategies," Struck said. Struck said the United States should update its relationship with the EU "which in its current form does justice neither to the Union's growing importance nor to the new demands on trans-Atlantic cooperation." Struck said EU and U.S. governments should establish a high-ranking commission to study the issue and propose solutions. "This panel should submit a report to the heads of state and government of NATO and the European Union by the beginning of 2006 on the basis of its analysis." Rumsfeld flew in from a surprise visit to Iraq Friday to the prestigious weekend gathering, which defense experts and policy-makers traditionally use for frank exchanges in an informal atmosphere. German President Horst Koehler opened the conference Friday evening by underlining the link between security and development, urging rich countries to boost development aid. "Without security there can be no economic development," he told delegates at a private dinner, according to a text released by his office. "But experience also shows that sustained poverty among wide swathes of the population can threaten a country's stability."
