President George W. Bush returned from Europe this week with assurances from allies that they are united with the United States on important security issues. Mr. Bush was able to secure important European assistance with training Iraqi security personnel and general reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, as European leaders united with the president in condemning Syria and Iran’s nuclear ambitions.Meeting with NATO, the European Union, and various state leaders in Belgium, Germany, and Slovakia, Mr. Bush and his allies praised the historic bond across the Atlantic Ocean.

The president thanked European leaders for the support they had given in Afghanistan and Iraq and declared that “there should be no doubt in your mind that my government and the United States want the European project to succeed. It’s in our interests that Europe be strong.” Recognition and support for the European Union was a particularly important issue for the Europeans as they hoped to gain symbolic US confidence on the project.In Brussels, the president was able to secure the unanimous support of NATO, which vowed to redouble its assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The agreement is significant because it includes commitments from France and a handful of other European countries that opposed the American-led invasion of Iraq. Germany had already been training Iraqi security forces in the United Arab Emirates.According to an official news release from NATO, “all 26 Allies are now contributing to NATO’s training of Iraqi security forces, either in Iraq, outside of Iraq, through financial contributions or donations of equipment.”

This statement echoes the organization’s earlier commitment in June 2004 to train Iraqi security forces, as well as its leadership of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, support for the Multinational Division in Iraq, and deployment of air defense units to Turkey. The overwhelming majority of NATO members supported the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, with France and Germany mounting the core opposition.The European Union also agreed to train roughly seven hundred Iraqis in judicial-related capacities, Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy spokesman, told the Associated Press.

“We are for the first time really united on Iraq,” he said. The EU has promised $3 million towards this effort.Speaking in Belgium’s Concert Noble Ballroom, Mr. Bush described the trans-Atlantic bond as “the main pillar of our security” and pointed to peace in the Middle East as the “greatest opportunity and immediate goal.” Acknowledging differences over the invasion of Iraq, the president said, “Now is the time for established democracies to give tangible political, economic and security assistance to the world’s newest democracy.”

The president’s visit to Brussels came one week after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Dining with French President Jacques Chirac, Bush emphasized the importance of the Franco-American relationship and issued a joint statement calling upon Syria to abide by UN resolutions to withdraw security and intelligence forces from Lebanon. Amid the international pressure and massive protests in Lebanon that led to the fall of the Syrian puppet regime in Beirut, Syrian President Bashar Assad has agreed to withdraw the troops “within a few months.”

France and the US want the immediate withdraw of the Syrians so that the Lebanese people can hold free elections without Syrian interference.On February 23, President Bush met with German Chancellor Gerhard Schröeder. Reminding those listening that Germany helped waive Iraqi national debt, Schröeder also mentioned that his nation could assist further in reconstruction efforts in the war-torn country. On the subject of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the two leaders spoke with one voice, with Schröeder stating “we absolutely agree that Iran must say, no, to any kind of nuclear weapon, full stop.”The president received his warmest reception at Wiesbaden Army Airfield Base in Germany, where he expressed his thanks and pride in the work the military has done. Among those soldiers in the audience were veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Addressing the First Armored Division, the commander- in-chief said amid thunderous applause, “I was the guy serving turkey,” referring to his 2003 Thanksgiving surprise visit to troops in Baghdad.The last leg of the presidential trip ended in Slovakia where Mr. Bush was to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking outside in Bratislava to a massive Slovak crowd that turned out despite freezing weather, Mr. Bush thanked them for their support in Afghanistan and Iraq. The president also reminded Slovaks of “the exhilaration of voting for the first time after decades of tyranny,” saying, “as you watched jubilant Iraqis dancing in the streets last month, holding up ink-stained fingers, you remembered Velvet Days,” referring to their successful democratic movement.

The president’s visit to Europe ended with a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava, where, according to Mr. Bush, they had “very frank discussions about a variety of issues.” The US has grown increasingly concerned about the rollback of democratic institutions in Russia and Moscow’s commitment to Iran’s nuclear program. President Putin denied Iran would use its program to produce nuclear weapons and agreed it should not acquire them, vowing to “put an end to the proliferation of missiles and missile technology.”