| Just doing what a Secretary of State is supposed to do. |
Rice repeated her defence of US practises at a dinner late on Wednesday for NATO and EU foreign ministers on the eve of a one-day NATO meeting. Several emerged satisfied after what a source described as a frank but respectful exchange.
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said talks between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her European counterparts on a row over alleged CIA secret prisons had âcleared the air.â âIt was a good discussion. I think it cleared the air. Secretary Rice made a strong intervention,â he said, referring to closed-door dinner Wednesday night gathering rice with her NATO and EU colleagues.
âI think NATO and EU ministers were able to raise their concerns that we should not diverge from one another on the interpretation of international law,â German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters. âSecretary Rice promised that international agreements are not interpreted any differently in the United States than they are in Europe. That, at least, is a good statement,â he told reporters as he arrived for the meeting on Thursday.
| And everyone had a good time. |
A source briefed on the dinner, which was tightly restricted to foreign ministers, said Rice repeated arguments made earlier on her trip that Washington had respected international law. A NATO spokesman said the discussion had cleared the air and that those present appeared to have been reassured. âThat seems to be the flavour of the (dinner) meeting. Todayâs (Thursdayâs) discussions till now have concentrated purely on NATO business,â he told a news briefing.
| The Euros must have sent the adults to the dinner and left the children at home. |
