Brussels never received so much attention from the previous US administration, so last week‘s visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and today’s of Vice-President Joe Biden are most welcome. Most of the Vice-President’s engagements were at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, however he did have meetings with the EU Policy chief Javier Solana.
A European diplomat has suggested that Biden’s role (as opposed to Clinton) is as the “salesman” of the administration. And he has a lot to sell, as he renewed pleas for more European involvement in Afghanistan. It seems, however, that talk has moved from troop deployment, something that is deeply unpopular in the EU, toward civilian assistance which is slightly more palatable.
US Vice President, Joseph “the salesman”Biden seated next NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (Photo:NATO)