US: Dr Condoleeza Rice arrives in Britain tonight on her first trip as US Secretary of State. She is aiming to salvage America's relations with Europe and add to the momentum of the Middle East peace process with an offer to train Palestinian security forces.
At a working breakfast tomor- row morning with the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and a meeting later with the Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, Dr Rice will begin a campaign to convince Europe that the Bush administration is serious about chang- ing the tone of transatlantic relations, frayed by the Iraq invasion.
The highlight of that effort will come next Tuesday when the new secretary of state will deliver a reconciliatory speech in Paris, addressed primarily at the administration's bitterest critic in Europe, the French government.
Despite an improvement in tone, however, there are few signs of significant convergence in policy. Dr Rice has made it clear the US is resolutely opposed to a lifting of the European Union arms embargo on China, despite assurances from Mr Straw that it will be replaced by a code of conduct that would actually diminish weapons sales.
Dr Rice told the Agence France-Presse and Reuters news agencies that the EU decision would "send the wrong signal about human rights".
On Iran, another point of transatlantic tension, she expressed support for European negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear ambitions, but showed no sign that the US would respond to European calls to get more directly involved in the talks.
"The Europeans have embarked on an effort that we greatly appreciate," she said.
However, Dr Rice will seek to convince sceptics that the Bush administration is serious about seizing an opportunity for peace in the Middle East, following the Palestinian elections.
Dr Rice will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Monday. Washington has told both sides that it does not plan to re-engage with the peace process in a major way until after the Israeli prime minister has completed his disengagement plan from Gaza by pulling out about 8,000 Jewish settlers and most Israeli troops.
But the speed with which the new Palestinian leader, Mr Mahmoud Abbas, has moved to try to end the intifada, by bringing Hamas and other militant groups into the political process in return for a permanent ceasefire, caught Israel and Washington off guard. "It's not perfect," Dr Rice observed, "but they have made some progress."