Clinton completes diplomatic tour

ANKARA, Turkey - In her debut on the European stage, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton soaked up praise, prodded NATO toward repairing relations with Moscow, and laughed off a staff gaffe that may have left the Russians snickering.

She arrived in the Turkish capital in the wee hours yesterday after a workday she began by answering questions from young Europeans in Brussels, followed by a high-drama, modest-results meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.

Turkey is a fitting finish to Clinton's weeklong trip, her second abroad since taking office in January, because it highlights the Obama administration's ambition to take advantage of a good moment with an important ally.

The Turkey visit, like her Brussels and Geneva stops, is a chance for Clinton to help President Obama get off to a positive beginning with a partner country. The Turks also are poised to help in Obama's efforts to win a comprehensive Middle East peace.

Clinton made her diplomatic debut with a February trip to Asia. In Brussels, a young Norwegian asked her if, by putting Europe second on her travel priorities, Clinton saw the continent any differently than did the Bush administration, which was saddled with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's description of an unenergetic "old Europe."

Clinton hardly hesitated.

"Europe is our essential partner," she said, adding that it should not be forgotten that the first high-level administration overseas venture was Vice President Biden's trip to Munich, Germany, in February, where he declared a new day in U.S.-European relations.

Hans-Gert Poettering of Germany, president of the European Parliament, said in introducing Clinton at the question-and-answer session in Brussels that the change in the White House had given "new hope to the world" and a chance for America to "restore your country's influence and its standing around the world." There is "enormous goodwill toward you" in Europe, he said.

In Geneva, Clinton's diplomatic skills were tested by an encounter with Lavrov, her Russian counterpart, who had a frosty relationship with Clinton's predecessor, Condoleezza Rice. The meeting produced no announced breakthrough, in arms control or other issues, but it seemed to set the stage for a new beginning in U.S.-Russian relations.

It may have turned out well, but the Geneva meeting got off to an odd and awkward start.

With reporters looking on, Clinton met Lavrov and handed him a gift - a green box tied in green ribbon. He unwrapped it to reveal a "reset button," a lighthearted reminder of Biden's recent remark that the Obama administration is hitting the reset button with Russia after years of friction during the Bush administration.

Trouble was, the Russian-language label the Americans put atop the button had the wrong word. Before she realized the mistake, Clinton assured Lavrov her staff "worked hard" to get it right. Was it right? she inquired with a smile.

"You got it wrong," Lavrov responded, also smiling. He said the word the Americans chose - peregruzka - meant "overloaded" or "overcharged" rather than "reset."

It was an embarrassment for the Americans, but in front of the cameras, the two pushed the button together to show they share a desire for improved relations. And later, at a joint news conference after two hours of talks, both made light of the goof.

"We reached an agreement on how reset is spelled in both Russian and English - we have no differences between us any more," he said through an interpreter.

Clinton put it this way: "The minister corrected our word choice. But in a way, the word that was on the button turns out to be also true. We are resetting, and because we are resetting, the minister and I have an 'overload' of work."