US: Following the chilly reception around the world for President George Bush's inaugural address promoting the end of tyranny, the president's father George H.W. Bush has taken the unusual step of emphasising it did not signal a new direction in US foreign policy. From Conor O'Clery in Washington
The former president also said it was not meant to portray the Bush administration as arrogant. "People want to read a lot into it - that this means new aggression or newly assertive military forces," he told reporters in the White House at the weekend. "That's not what that speech is about. It's about freedom."
Reaction to the speech ranged from sceptical editorial comment in Europe to an accusation by North Korea that the US was an enemy of democracy which "ruthlessly infringes upon the sovereignty of other countries". In his speech Mr Bush echoed his "with us or against us" theme in the war on terror, saying the US "will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right".
However, he did not make clear if he would promote democracy and human rights in countries which allied themselves with the US in the war on terror but have poor records on such issues. These include China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. "It doesn't mean instant change in every country - that's not what he intended," said the president's father. "They certainly ought to not read into it any arrogance on the part of the United States." The inauguration speech caused a flurry of diplomatic speculation in Washington, especially against the background of growing speculation that the administration will focus on Iran in the second term.
The President is likely to face questions about the implications of his speech when he visits Europe next month. Mr Bush will travel to Brussels for talks with NATO and EU leaders before going to Germany, where opposition to the Iraq war runs high. He will then travel to Slovakia, an ally in the war, where he will meet Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin. A poll by BBC in 21 countries last week found that 58 per cent of people believe the re-election of Mr Bush has made the world more dangerous. Yesterday the Washington Post disclosed the existence of a secret new espionage unit in the Pentagon which gave Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld broad authority over clandestine operations in friendly and enemy territory.
The Strategic Support Branch was formed to end the Pentagon's dependence on the CIA, according to officials and documents quoted by the newspaper. It contains interrogators, linguists and special forces and has been operating in Afghanistan and Iran. A memo to Mr Rumsfeld from Gen Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the focus of the unit would be emerging target countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia, Philippines and Georgia. Agents recruited could include "notorious figures" whose links to the US could be embarrassing if known. The unit is commanded by Col George Waldroup, who as a civilian federal officer was at the centre of an investigation in 1996 into alleged deception of Congress over staffing problems at Miami airport. The unit was set up in 2002 but its existence was so secret that details were not known even to members of the House Intelligence Committee until interviewed last week, the Post said.