France's foreign minister says a new era in French-American relations is beginning, after "clear disagreement" over Paris' opposition to the U.S.-led Iraq war. Michel Barnier, in an interview published Monday, urged a "new start" in relations, based on mutual respect and willingness to hear each other's convictions. "A new period is starting," Liberation daily quoted Barnier as saying. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected Tuesday in Paris as part of a swing through Europe and Middle East. Rice's visit and an upcoming trip to Europe by U.S. President George W. Bush are "signs" of the new start in trans-Atlantic alliance, the French minister said. "It's normal that there's a new state of mind on both sides," he said. "The Americans need to have confidence in Europeans, and accept that Europe has its place on the international scene ... and Europeans need to have confidence in themselves." "It's in the interest of the United States to understand that neither they, nor Europeans, can face up to the challenges of the world alone," Barnier said.
