Washington: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plunged into her first face-to-face talks with foreign ministers on Tuesday, reinforcing old ties with traditional European allies Britain and Germany.
Clinton met British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in separate sessions at the State Department that focused heavily on Iran, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
The meetings were Clinton's first since she took office less than two weeks ago. After the meetings, all participants promised a cooperative working relationship on a crush of difficult foreign policy challenges.
"All of the European foreign ministers who come here this week will be bringing a very strong message," Miliband said, with Clinton at his side.
"We have heard what you and the Obama administration have said about the commitment to work with allies. But we also know that allies have to step up to build a strong working relationship," he said.
Former President George W. Bush had a close working relationship with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair but US relations with other European powers, particularly Germany and France, frayed after the launch of the Iraq war in 2003.
Clinton and President Barack Obama have promised to bring a new cooperative approach to alliances. Clinton praised the relationship with both Britain and Germany after her meetings.
"We need our closest allies like Germany to help us ensure the success and stability of the Afghanistan nation," Clinton said, adding that the US relationship with Britain "stands the test of time."
