European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 22, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday december 22,1989 columns chips off the East blocmikhail."6xactwwhat w7voupromi56 Norman Kempster . Likely to stay first among equals in Europe almost a Quarter of inc Way through its four year mandate the Bush administration has renewed the traditional american claim to was Lorn leadership. In president Bush s Summit meeting last week with French president Francois Mitterrand in the sunny French West indies and in Secretary of state James a. Baker ill s we Klong european trip the administration served notice that the United states is determined to play a role in shaping Europe for the Post cold War Era. For most of the four decades since the end of world War ii Washington s leadership of the West rested on its nuclear Arsenal. Europeans sometimes chafed at the american dominance but. At least in their serious moments they realized that there was no substitute for the . Nuclear deterrent As Long As Josef Stalin and his successors in Moscow seemed to menace the Conti nent. That reason for the american presence in Europe now seems to be much diminished maybe gone for Good. But. After months of relative passivity which critics called timidity Bush has made it Clear that the United Stales docs not intend to be dismissed and forgotten like a demobilized Soldier. In a speech last week in West Berlin Baker Laid out the . Vision of a new architecture for a new Era that would join Europe to the United states in the future by revising some of the organizations that held them together in inc past. So far the . Approach seems to have been relatively Well received. But Baker s speech contained few details giving critics a poor target at least for now. When some of the ideas Are rounded out into specific proposals they May prove to be More controversial. Speaking at a press conference after his talks with Bush. Mitterrand praised the . Initiative in Prin Ciple while carefully avoiding most of the specifics. Or. Baker s statement on the subject seems to show great understanding on the needs of Europe Mitterrand said. But he said the details would require additional study. Bush conceded that he had some nuances of Dif Ference with Gorbachev on the future of Europe. But he added i Don t find any countries suggesting that the United states should decouple from Europe. I Don t think you arc going to see out of All this dynamic change a tendency to try to push the United states out of Europe. You might see some isolationist pressures develop to our country that i will  Baker said the United states wants some sort of formal consultative role with the european Community before the 12-Nalion trading bloc completes its scheduled establishment of a single european marketing 1992. As Europe moves toward its goal of a common internal Market. The link Between the United states and the european Community will become even More important Baker said. We propose that the unite states and the european Community work together to achieve whether in treaty or some other form a significantly strengthened set of institutional and Consulta Tive links. We suggest that our discussions about this idea proceed in parallel with Europe s efforts to achieve by 1992 a common internal Market so that plans for . Dec interaction would evolve with changes in the Community he added. Baker insisted that he brought no preconceived Model of transatlantic cooperation and that the United states did not want to become the 13th member of the  nevertheless it seems Clear that Washington wants to have a regular and continuing Opportunity to affect dec decisions. . Officials said that France appears 19 be the most sceptical of any of the european countries about the . Proposals. Historically the French have wanted to use the european structures to Check German influence one senior . Official said. The French arc the most resistant in Europe to some of the ideas we proffered. I have no doubt that they will be More cautious than the British or the West  however Jakucs Clors the former French govern ment official who Heads the permanent bureaucracy of the european Community agreed last week to in creased consultations with the United Stales. Although Clors said it would take some time to work out inc exact procedures the trans Atlantic links must be  to which Baker scaled at Clors Side added you said  . Officials were cautiously optimistic about the future relationship with the dec. But they were almost euphoric about the direction of the North Atlantic treaty organization. In the . Architecture nato would play an As yet vaguely defined political role in the Post cold War world managing the emerging East West detente in the same Way it once managed the Western Side of the East West confrontation. French foreign minister Roland Dumas unleashed scathing criticism of . Plans for the Alliance. But when nato s foreign ministers published their final communique after their Winter meeting almost All of the elements of the Baker plan were included at least in substance if not word for word a senior . Official said the next Day that the american tone of the communique was striking perhaps the clearest endorsement of . Objective since the Early Days of the Alliance when . Domina Tion was unquestioned. The los angelas Tinus the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government