United States Vice President Dick Cheney on Jan. 24 defended the US-led war on Iraq and urged Europe to join the US in fighting terrorism.
"Europe and America must stand as one" in promoting democracy in the Middle East as the key to winning the global war against terrorism, Cheney told political and business leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss alpine resort of Davos.
Cheney highlighted "three fundamental responsibilities" in his speech aimed at narrowing the rift between the US and its European allies over the Iraq war.
"First, we must confront the ideologies of violence at the source, by promoting democracy throughout the greater Middle East and beyond," he said.
"Second, we should meet these dangers together. Cooperation among governments and international institutions is even more important today than in the past."
"Third, when diplomatic effort fails (in defeating terrorism and stopping the proliferation of weapons) we must be willing to use force if it is necessary. Direct threats require decisive action," he said.
Cheney also asked Europe to step up its troop deployment capacity, saying Europe and Canada had 1.4 million soldiers under arms but have only deployed 55,000 abroad.