Wednesday, 13 June, 2001, 10:34 GMT 11:34 UK

Bush warns Nato of 'new threats'

US President George W Bush has called on Nato leaders meeting in Brussels to strengthen the alliance and "prepare for new threats".

In his opening remarks to the Nato summit, Mr Bush said there must be "a commitment to prepare for the challenges of our times" - a reference to his plans for a missile defence shield which have prompted concern among European governments.

BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the meeting is important for the Bush team, because it knows it has handled its allies badly on issues such as the Kyoto agreement, and is determined to do better on missile defence.

More than 100 protesters chanting "Bush go home" and "Stop Star Wars" had gathered outside the Nato HQ, but a kilometre-wide security cordon was in place to prevent them from disrupting the meeting.

Nato scepticism

US officials expect Mr Bush to give Nato leaders further details of his missile defence plan, and to try to convince them that the scheme is in their best interests.

Speaking in Spain on Tuesday on the first day of his European tour, he stressed his determination to press ahead with the programme.

Mr Bush said he would not be bound by the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty - a "relic of the past".

The US president said the strategic threat posed by Russia's cold war nuclear arsenal had been superseded by the much less predictable threat posed by what he described as rogue states acquiring missile technology and weapons of mass destruction.

American officials were delighted that this shift in strategic thinking was given a sympathetic hearing by Spain's conservative government.

But the BBC's Stephen Sackur, who is travelling with the president, says that more scepticism is likely to be voiced by other members of Nato.

There is a real concern in many European capitals that a missile shield could antagonise the Chinese, for example, and could lead to a new and dangerous nuclear arms race.

Balkans crisis

Nonetheless, the Bush team believes it is making headway on the issue.

One official said several key Nato states were showing signs of coming around to the idea.

There are also many other problems ahead, ranging from the European Union's growing interest in defence, to Nato expansion and the crisis in the Balkans.

Mr Bush is likely to stress that the growing US strategic role in Asia will not compromise America's fundamental interests in Nato.

Anti-US protests

He may also stress his desire to see European allies do more in the defence field.

Our defence correspondent says such an improvement in capabilities is the sweetener that makes the EU's defence efforts tolerable in American eyes.

Outside the American embassy in Madrid on Tuesday, several hundred protesters voiced their opposition to the American administration's policies, including its decision to withdraw from the Kyoto global warming treaty and its support of the death penalty.

Some protesters chanted "Bush Go Home!" One sign read: "The Earth is our mother, not your supermarket".

More protests are expected to greet the president during his European tour.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2001

Answers

this shield will do nothing to stop the bombs of the future, which will be delivered locally, not by air, and which will be viral in type, instead of nuclear.

The new bombs of the future will remove the inhabitants, leaving the resources unscathed.

-- Anonymous, June 13, 2001