WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush met European Union leaders here on Monday, saying that he wanted a "strong" Europe to work with.

    "The United States continues to support a strong European Unionas a partner in spreading freedom, and democracy, and security and prosperity throughout the world," Bush told reporters after meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, the current EU president, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

    The US-EU summit comes two days before an international conference on Iraq in Brussels Wednesday, jointly sponsored by the United States and the European Union.

    The summit also comes on the heels of last week's EU summit, which broke down amid budget squabbles, leaving a sense that the 25-member bloc is in crisis. Enditem