The trans-Atlantic alliance is in "great shape", U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday. Rice's comments come one week after U.S. President George W. Bush and Rice made a historic trip to Europe to patch up differences with key allies like France and Germany over the U.S. decision to attack Iraq. The trip was widely seen as a success, as French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed to put past differences aside and find ways they can help the democratic process and security in Iraq. During Bush's visit, NATO agreed to expand its effort to train Iraqi security forces. "I think the Euro-Atlantic alliance is in great shape," Rice said in an interview with PBS public television. "We can stop talking about what is the health of the Euro-Atlantic alliance and we can start putting it to work for great causes," Rice said. Chirac and Schroeder, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, spearheaded opposition to American effort to win United Nations backing of the war, and the split resulted in a chill in relations across the Atlantic. Rice has made three trips to Europe since taking over from Colin Powell at the State Department, and plans to visit the capital cities of all NATO members by the end of spring. --SP 0025 Local Time 2125 GMT
