Spanish Prime Minister Mr Jose Maria Aznar has called for Europe and the United States to strengthen trans-Atlantic ties and defend their common values.
"Let us not define European integration in a negative way, pitted against anyone else," Aznar told a conference of European leaders in the French capital.
"Let us define and build Europe... working together to defendthe values that we share on either side of the Atlantic," he toldthe assembly.
"It is vital for Europe to maintain strong trans-Atlantic ties,"Aznar argued, in presence of his French and Portguese counterparts,Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Mr Jose Manuel Durao Barroso.
Spain, Britain, Italy and Portugal aligned with the UnitedStates over the war against Iraq, whereas France, Germany andBelgium stood firmly opposed to military intervention.
The conference in Paris was called exactly one year after thefirst round of the 2002 French presidential election, which saw thefar-right leader Mr Jean-Marie Le Pen win second place.
The summit was intended to draw the lessons from Le Pen'ssuccess, which sent a shockwave surging through Europe, even thoughthe National Front leader was crushed by President Jacques Chirac inthe second round of the election.
AFP