Bush, in Canada, Declares He'll 'Reach Out' to Friends -NYT [View All]

[Rose Siding]

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Dec. 1 - President Bush said Wednesday that a "new term in office is an important opportunity to reach out to our friends," but he remained uncompromising about the American-led invasion of Iraq and his insistence that the United Nations be focused on "collective security, not endless debate."

In a speech at Pier 21, the entry point in this blustery Nova Scotia port for nearly one million immigrants to Canada in the 20th century, Mr. Bush made clear that diplomacy would be a theme of his second four years. But he described a diplomacy that appeared to be based largely on his terms, with a heavy emphasis on "the nightmare world of danger" that will befall future generations if the United States eases up in its struggle against terrorism.

"My country is determined to work as far as possible within the framework of international organizations, and we're hoping that other nations will work with us to make those institutions more relevant and more effective in meeting the unique threats of our time," he said in Heritage Hall, a part of a museum at the pier that has been restored much as Ellis Island has been in New York.
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The president's speech, his only public address on an overnight trip to Canada, was officially intended to thank the Canadians of the maritime provinces and other parts of the country who took in 33,000 Americans when their flights were diverted after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But it also served as a road map of his priorities in his second term, and notably included a strong emphasis on pushing for democracy and peace in the Middle East.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/02/politics/02prexy.html?oref=login