US: When Mr John Bruton presented his credentials to President George W. Bush as EU ambassador in the White House yesterday, it was a meeting of two Texans, so to speak.
The former Taoiseach is an "honorary Texan", according to a certificate signed by the then Governor Bush and presented to him some years ago by an American relative, Mr Jim Brierton.
During his time as a politician Mr Bruton has accumulated other honorary American titles, such as "Citizen of Sioux City, Iowa", "Ambassador of Agriculture of South Carolina" and "General of Washington State", which should help somewhat in his stated goal of improving relations between Europe and the United States.
"My aim will be to ensure that whenever there are differences we will use the telephone rather than the megaphone," Mr Bruton explained in an interview at the EU mission in Washington.
He said that his message to Mr Bush was that his arrival in Washington as EU envoy marked a fresh start. He was representing a new, enlarged commission led by José Manuel Barroso, who had a "deep understanding of the importance of the relationship with the United States".
Mr Bush confirmed yesterday that he would be visiting Europe on February 22nd and meeting Mr Barroso and other European leaders. The high priority given to Europe so early in the second Bush administration was very much appreciated, Mr Bruton said.
The effort to reach out to Europe by Mr Bush, and by the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, who on Wednesday in a speech in Brussels urged Europeans to reconcile with the US, was very significant, he believed.
The recent crisis in EU/US relations over Iraq should be seen in the context of historical changes. The Cold War was an abnormal period when differences between the US and Europe were glossed over. Now, in the absence of a single external threat, "there will be arguments about shared values, but that's normal".
There was a common terrorism threat today, but while it was a major threat to be faced in common, it was also more diffuse.
Asked about the strong anti-European sentiments in the US which had surfaced over the Iraq war, Mr Bruton said: "Americans don't realise how high are the expectations Europeans have for the United States. When it acts as a normal country and doesn't live up to these expectations, there's a sort of consequential disappointment."
Another reality was that "Europeans did not go through 9/11" and the Iraq issue "came on the agenda so quickly" that it contributed to the transatlantic differences.
He agreed that this was not a very judgmental comment on US unilateral action, saying he believed that "one must understand before one can judge".
At a separate meeting earlier with journalists, Mr Bruton said that he foresaw a greater EU involvement in supporting the institutions of Iraq.
There was also a window of opportunity in the Middle East for new peace negotiations, into which the EU and US would put a lot of effort; a complementary role for the EU and the US in Iran; and an opportunity for a new Doha trade liberalisation round, which could not succeed without EU/US agreement.
In a letter which he presented to Mr Bush yesterday Mr Bruton stated that he would work to strengthen EU/US ties, which constituted "the most important economic relationship in world history".
His appointment reflected the "declared wish of the European Commission and the 25 EU member-states to strengthen EU/US relations and deepen mutual understanding in this indispensable partnership" in tackling the scourge of terrorism, fighting poverty and working for world peace and stability.
Mr Bruton, who was Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997, agreed that he would be able to exploit the special relationship he enjoyed with Irish-American politicians on Capitol Hill from previous visits.
When he moves with his wife, Finola, to the EU ambassador's residence in Washington for what will be a four-year term, it will be the first time he has lived outside the parish of Dunboyne in Co Meath.