US President George W Bush will hold a summit with European Union leaders on February 22 ndnext year, one month after his inauguration for his second term US officials said today.
US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell told reporters he informed his European counterparts of the visit during a Nato foreign ministers meeting.
"The President remains committed to the trans-Atlantic relationship and especially to the Nato pillar of that relationship and that is why ... the president will be travelling to Europe on the 22nd of February," said Mr Powell.
He added that Mr Bush would hold separate gatherings with European leaders, first at Nato and then at European Union headquarters. Other parts of Mr Bush's trip to Europe were "still being worked out," he said.
Mr Powell, who was on his last visit to Europe as Washington's top envoy, said the trip would highlight the need for co-operation.
"The United States and Europe must work in partnership, using our different strengths and abilities to advance the values of freedom and peace" he said.
European foreign ministers and officials welcomed the announcement of Bush's Mr trip. German Foreign Minister Mr Joschka Fischer said the summit would be "a chance to find a new trans-Atlantic consensus."
Nato Secretary General Mr Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the trip was a sign that the US president was taking relations with Europe seriously.
"I consider it of great importance that the American president is coming to Europe very soon after his inauguration," he said. "It's a sign of full United States commitment to Nato."
Relations between Washington and several Nato partners were hurt by the US-led war in Iraq. Several EU nations, led by France and Germany, vehemently opposed the war, which has strained relations between the 25-nation bloc and Washington for the better part of President Bush's first term in office.
AP