By Martin Banks - 13th January 2009
There has been a smooth transition and the Obama administration will hit the ground running
Outgoing US ambassador to the EU Kristen Silverberg
The US ambassador to the EU said on Tuesday that the “broad parameters” of US foreign policy will remain largely unchanged after Barack Obama takes over from George W Bush on 20 January.
Kristen Silverberg said in Brussels that she also believes that Obama will work closely on foreign policy with America’s European partners.
Silverberg, who is due to step down this month after just over six months in the post, said, "The first point I think bears making is that, although this was an election about change, really US transitions are about continuity as well and that is particularly true for foreign policy.
"There are differences of opinion between parties and particular candidates and so Iraq is an example where the differences were quite stark and very well debated.
"Really most of the changes we see with transitions have to do with tactics, sometimes with tone, with priorities, and so think I really want to emphasise is that there will be strong elments of continuity, particularly on foreign policy issues."
In her breakfast briefing, Silverberg, the first female US ambassador to the EU, was speaking on the day that Hillary Clinton was due to appear at her Senate confirmation hearing for her new job as Secretary of State.
The Harvard-educated diplomat said, “I am happy to report, from the perspective of both the incoming and outgoing administrations, it has been a very smooth and congenial (transition)."
"It has been abundantly clear that his top priority is to restart the American economy and to save jobs. And so I think one of the things going forward is just a reminder that it is very natural for any new president to focus in the early days on domestic issues."
On the foreign policy front, Silverberg, who served as a special advisor in Baghdad,said, "Over the last year and since the Annapolis conference in November 2007, the US and the EU have worked very intensely on this process of advancing a lasting peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution.
"Events of the last two weeks I think really highlight the importance of those efforts."
On Afghanistan, she said the progress that has been made in the war-torn country was “threatened by continuing terrorist attacks” and called for a “redoubling” of efforts to rebuild the country, particularly in the provision of police training.
She also hopes the EU recognises that its interests in the future development and reconstruction of Afghanistan “are at least as strong” as those of America.
On strategy policy towards Iran, she said, "I think you in Europe will have to play a big part in this strategy for it to succeed. As you know, the US has had extensive sanctions against Iran for decades and largely our financial insitutions and companies are shut down to Iranian companies.
"And so one of the things that we will raise, and I expect the Obama administration to raise as well, is that we need to make sure that we have closed any loopholes in European sanctions regimes."
On climate and energy, she said, "You know, the president-elect’s proposal in terms of greenhouse gas reductions has been to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
"So obviously there is still a gap between the European proposal of 20 per cent reduction and the president-elect’s proposal back to 1990 levels.
"Now, obviously, he will work with Congress very much on what our legislative package is. He has said that he intends to work on the sort of domestic piece of this in advance of Copenhagen, so a lot of the question will be what comes out of Congress in terms of our issues.
"He has said that he is more open on a global cap and trade system, so that closes the gap a bit but, as I said, I really don’t think the final barrier to an agreement is going to be a disagreement between the US and Europe. I think we will resolve our issues .
" I think the real issue is going to be: can we get a truly global agreement, one that includes all the emerging economies. And that is really where I think the challenge is going to bethat Obama would be “more aggressive” in his approach to tackling the problem that the outgoing Bush administration."
As a political appointee, Silverberg, who served in the White House in the first Bush administration, will be replaced in Brussels as ambassador following Obama's inauguration.
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.