Common EU-US agenda must not hide the differences

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 20th Jun 2006

"The war on terror has dominated EU-US relations since 9/11 often to the exclusion of more important business. It is time for Translatlantic relations to get back to normal" said the European Liberal Democrat Leader Graham Watson in the run-up to the EU-US Summit in Vienna tomorrow.

"Despite President Bush's commitment to lifting the visa requirements for EU citizens, travelers from many EU countries are still subject to a visa regime. What is worse, the transfer of passenger data the US insists on has compromised the individual privacy of the Europeans traveling across the Atlantic. It has made us little if any safer. EU Leaders need to do some tough talking with their US counterparts", said Graham Watson.

"In many international crises the US and the EU cooperate closely. Whenever we do, we can make a real difference, as the situation in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear programme and the peace talks on Darfur prove. The summit must address our differences, like Guantanamo but it should also highlight and strengthen the positive aspects of our relationship", said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, MEP (FDP-ALDE).