Obama in Portugal; meets with EU, NATO partners

[November 19, 2010]  LISBON, Portugal (AP) -- President Barack Obama is stepping back onto the world stage for two days of meetings in Europe, where his personal popularity hasn't shielded him from skepticism over his policies.

After an overnight flight from Washington, Obama arrived Friday morning in the Portuguese capital for summits with NATO partners and the European Union. He'll face tough questions from U.S. allies on his exit strategy in Afghanistan and his preference for stimulus spending at a time when many European nations are enacting austerity measures.

The president's quick trip comes just days after a 10-day swing through Asia, the longest foreign trip of his presidency. Though he failed to ink a free-trade deal with South Korea and couldn't rally wide-ranging support for his opposition to China's currency manipulation, he did make it clear that the fast-growing region is central to U.S. foreign policy.

It's a reality not lost in Europe, where some leaders worry that Obama views the continent as a secondary player in his foreign policy agenda.

"There is some disappointment in the sense of how much attention he's given to Europe -- that maybe he's been more focused on Asia, more focused on other problem areas, and that really the interest in Europe is about how many trainers and forces you can provide for Afghanistan," said Stephen Flanagan, a former State Department official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Those concerns peaked earlier this year when European Union officials were forced to cancel a summit with the U.S. planned for Madrid in May after the White House said Obama would not attend.

Both U.S. and European officials say the administration has worked hard since then to bridge any divides with Europe, and Obama has called the relationship a "cornerstone" of U.S. foreign policy.

"We are each other's closest partners. Neither Europe nor the United States can confront the challenges of our time without the other," Obama wrote in a New York Times opinion piece published Thursday.

The White House has been quick to note that Obama's trip to Portugal will be his eighth trip to the continent since taking office -- though many of those stops have been just long enough for the president to spend the night. Two separate visits to Copenhagen, Denmark, last year didn't even allow time for that.

Obama's direct engagement with the European Union while in Lisbon will be brief. Just two hours have been allocated on Saturday for the delayed U.S.-EU summit, though European nations will play a central role in the more extensive NATO meetings.

Some Europe watchers say Obama must use his time with the continent's leaders, however brief, to assure them that his commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance remains strong.

"They want a sense of a steady hand that's also concerned about the same problems that they see as most immediate," Flanagan said.

Chief among Europe's concerns: Afghanistan, counterterrorism and the economy, which is again causing deep concern on the continent amid news that European countries may have to step in to help stabilize debt-stricken Ireland.

Some in Europe have questioned Obama's handling of the economic crisis, most notably his reliance on stimulus spending as a path toward recovery at a time when many European nations are slashing spending and raising taxes. Several countries, including Germany, have criticized the Federal Reserve's recent $600 billion bond-purchase plan, saying it would give U.S. exporters a competitive price edge by flooding world markets with dollars. A weaker dollar makes U.S. goods more attractive to foreign buyers.

Despite the growing policy divide, the economic ties between the U.S. and Europe remain strong. By some estimates, one in 10 U.S. jobs is created as a result of the relationship, and $4 trillion in trade and investment flows across the Atlantic each year. Both parties plan to discuss opportunities for more cooperation during Saturday's summit, including reducing trade barriers and streamlining regulations, especially for new and emerging technologies.

Obama will also face skepticism from Europe over his strategy in Afghanistan. Weary of war and hampered by public anger, many European leaders are under pressure to reduce their countries' combat roles in Afghanistan or shift to a training-focused mission.

The White House hopes a plan NATO is expected to adopt outlining a timeline to transfer security responsibility to the Afghans by 2014 will appease U.S. allies and provide them political cover at home. The agreement will call for the transfer to begin next year and continue across Afghanistan's 34 provinces through the end of 2014, based on conditions on the ground.

Obama and his European counterparts are also expected to discuss increased security cooperation in light of recent terror threats that led the U.S. to issue travel alerts to Europe after attempted attacks on cargo transport networks.

[Associated Press; By JULIE PACE]

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