US, EU Feel the Love on Valentine's Day

Love was in the air at the State Department Thursday when US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged to the EU's Catherine Ashton that Washington would forever remain true to Europe.

Published

3 months ago

Categories

World

Topics

Politics & Government, United States, Europe

People

Barack Obama, Catherine Ashton, John Kerry

Places

United States of America, Europe, Washington, D.C.

Transcript

SHOTLIST: WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 14, 2013, SOURCE: CBS **RESTRICTIONS: NO RESALE for non-editorial purposes No Japan No Free over the air broadcasters in Australia No US cable news outlets, free over the air networks or stations, their websites and their mobile phone services** SOUNDBITE 1 John Kerry (man), US Secretary of State(English, 10 sec): "The rebalancing that President Obama is engaged in does not and will not come at the expense of any relationship with Europe whatsoever." SOUNDBITE 2 Catherine ASHTON (woman), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the EU (English, 5 sec): "And as I said to you before, we want to be your most reliable partner." SOUNDBITE 3 Catherine ASHTON (woman), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the EU (English, 7 sec): "There's nowhere better on Valentine's Day to be than in Washington, DC to celebrate this great partnership," - Ashton and Kerry arriving - Ashton and Kerry speaking - Ashton and Kerry shaking hand and leaving -------------------- AFP TEXT STORY: EU-US-economy-trade US, EU feel the love on Valentine's Day WASHINGTON, Feb 14, 2013 (AFP) - Love was in the air at the State Department Thursday when US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged to the EU's Catherine Ashton that Washington would forever remain true to Europe. Even though the United States is now wooing Asian nations as part of President Barack Obama's pivot towards the continent, European countries should not feel they are being jilted. "The rebalancing that President Obama is engaged in does not and will not come at the expense of any relationship with Europe whatsoever," Kerry vowed, as he headed into talks with EU foreign policy chief Ashton. In fact, he said, there was enough room for everyone. "We want more engagement with Europe, we think Europe can be more of a partner," Kerry said. Ashton also pledged that whatever differences there may have been in the past, America still holds an indelible place in Europe's heart. "There's nowhere better on Valentine's Day to be than in Washington, DC to celebrate this great partnership," she said. "We want to be your most reliable partner." They were meeting just two days after Obama unveiled an ambitious transatlantic free trade deal to create the world's largest free trade area, liberalize investment and harmonize regulation, and boost economic growth. Both Kerry and Ashton described the plans for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the chance to deepen economic ties as exciting. "I think we can do this and do it in good time," Ashton said, adding it will do much to "add great value to our relationship, and as importantly to support our economies and to support our people with jobs." Kerry also hailed the proposed pact, which has an 18-month timeframe to reach a deal, saying it would have "enormous benefit" on both sides of the Atlantic. "We all know the difficulties, but I think this moment is one that we could really get through," Kerry added. jkb/