US President and EU leaders seek to banish tensions at summit

The leaders were to hold a joint press conference that was expected to highlight the signing of US-EU agreements on extradition and legal cooperation aimed at reinforcing transatlantic cooperation against terrorism.
Although both sides claim to be moving beyond the acrimony over the war in Iraq, they remain wide apart on a host of issues including a spate of commercial disputes and foreign-policy headaches such as Iran and the Middle East.
With Bush showing fresh resolve to forge Middle East peace, Washington has been pushing Europe to take a harder line against Palestinian militant groups like Hamas and help decisively sideline Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
On the commercial front, the two sides are wide apart on issues like agricultural subsidies and genetically modified foods, with Bush repeatedly accusing the EU ban on such products of promoting famine in Africa. On the broader issue of aid to developing nations, the US leader has sought to turn the tables on Europe by pushing a 15-billion-dollar plan to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and tying enhanced US aid to political and economic reforms. The United States, which has long footed the bulk of the bill for European security, has been seen there as less generous with assistance monies.
The EU has agreed a plan to fight the spread of weapons of mass destruction, including the use of force if necessary, in what is seen as a notable shift towards US thinking.