Clinton welcomes French push for European growth policies

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
WASHINGTON – Political changes sweeping Europe could lead to an emphasis on economic growth more in line with U.S. policies, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday.

By Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with USA TODAY in her office suite at the U.S. State Department on Tuesday.

By Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talks with USA TODAY in her office suite at the U.S. State Department on Tuesday.

As President Obama prepares to greet new French President Francois Hollande at the White House on Friday before summits with world leaders at Camp David and in Chicago, Clinton welcomed Hollande's "different political approach."

"Different voices may be louder on growth than they have been, but the overall approach of how we support Europe's recovery hasn't changed," Clinton told USA TODAY. "It's been our view that there needed to be some adjustments to just austerity, so that there could be growth, both for economic reasons and for political reasons."

Hollande, a Socialist who argued for growth before debt reduction, took office Tuesday after defeating former president Nicolas Sarkozy in a runoff election. He immediately traveled to Germany to dine with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the dominant force in the European Union and an advocate of strict austerity measures.

Since 2009, the Obama administration has focused more on economic stimulus than austerity — a bone of contention with Republicans in Congress and the likely GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who have argued the nation's $15.6 trillion debt should be a greater priority.

U.S. officials have urged European leaders to forge a path for economic growth. On Tuesday, Obama and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti agreed to intensify efforts to promote growth and job creation, the White House said.

"President Obama and our economic team have been saying for some time that growth had to factor into a European recovery, that there was a role for austerity and changing the ways of spending too much over too long a period, but there also had to be a well-thought-out effort to stimulate growth, put people to work, especially young people," Clinton said. "So we've been delivering that message, publicly and privately, for some time."

In a wide-ranging interview, Clinton voiced cautious optimism about negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program as well as the prospect for renewed talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority:

•Next week's negotiating session in Baghdad between Iran and the so-called P5+1, made up of the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, could be "potentially important" because of the allies' unity, Clinton said.

"The fact that it is unified, that includes both the Chinese and the Russians, is a significant statement about the importance that the rest of the world is placing on a peaceful resolution of this problem," she said. "Whether it is meaningful or not in Baghdad will, to a large extent, depend upon the Iranian response."

With the International Atomic Energy Agency pushing Iran for access to military sites that may play a role in the country's nuclear program, "time is of the essence," Clinton said.

"We will be taking stock in Baghdad, but we come in good faith," she said. "We wouldn't be going if we didn't expect to see Iran respond in kind."

•Israel's agreement to improve jail conditions for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ending their hunger strike, is "a positive step" that could "promote greater trust, greater willingness to pursue engagement," she said.

In one-on-one conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, she said, both seemed ready to engage in more serious negotiations.

"We continue to urge and nurture this process along because we believe it's in the best interests of Israel's security, which we care deeply about, and in furtherance of the Palestinian people's aspirations," Clinton said. "Any step taken to avoid any rupture, but to rather promote greater trust, greater willingness to pursue engagement, we view as a positive step."

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