People I spoke to in Brussels last weekend seemed under no illusion that much of any use would come from George W Bush's visit. Smiles, platitudes, as if 'Old Europe' had never been said. But deep down the EU still hates America and the Americans think Europe is a bunch of wimps.

Right. My Brussels newspaper reported 'growing concern' that Tony Blair's planned London conference on Palestinian reform 'could damage the EU's standing in the Middle East peace process'. Excuse me: what 'standing'? When did the EU ever do anything positive and useful to promote peace, either in the Middle East, in Africa (where France still supports thug dictators in its ex-colonies), or in the former Yugoslavia?

If you make people richer, and get them to respect the rule of law, property rights, and democracy; if you get them trading freely with others; if you give their people the security they need to invest in shops and factories; well, then you have a hope of getting folk to live in peace. Rich, democratic countries don't go to war with each other. Their citizens won't support it - they have too much riding on peace, too much to lose.

That's where Britain is trying to get to by helping Palestine and other Middle East countries to restructure their economy and government. The EU has no 'standing' in the process because its dithering 'foreign policy' has simply delayed change and helped perpetuate the very evils that we need to excise from the world.