Ghana prepared to receive the refugees but the exact Themes position history Themes of the vessel was unclear 12 hours after it put to sea. "If we were all non-confrontational, they'd be less likely to come Introduction to the negotiating table." Sir Leon would be the last to admit it, but Europe's history Mr Nice needs America's Mr Nasty.. Abidjan (Reuter) - Thousands of Liberian civil war refugees on an old freighter faced uncertainty at sea yesterday as Ivory Coast rejected appeals to take them in. Cosy deals between a Introduction htm few key players are no longer enough."The EU's eagerness to get a share of the Asian pie produces anomalies. At the end of July, a 10-year-old US-Japan agreement htm on semiconductor imports will expire The US wants htm its renewal history The Japanese are resisting But the Europeans are ambiguous. Themes They may say cosy agreements between states are anathema, but if Tokyo and Washington Introduction strike a deal, they insist on htm being Introduction a part of it.Privately, European diplomats acknowledge that the US approach is useful to them."Because the Americans are there waving their big stick, it improves the chances of Japan helping us," says one. But rather than simply making the best of a bad job, officials speak of the EU approach to trade disputes, based on the multilateral arbitration of the World Trade Organisation, as history Themes something akin to an Introduction htm ideology."The days of the old US approach are history Themes numbered," Sir Leon warned in a speech in Washington in March "We must give priority to multilateral solutions.

Hence the red carpet unrolled for Sir Leon.For Europe, such an approach is a political necessity. As a twitchy alliance of often fractious member countries, it can never match the political and economic punch wielded by the US government. The Americans, led by Mickey Kantor, now President Bill Clinton's Trade Secretary, were threatening punitive tariffs on Japanese car imports unless Tokyo agreed to specific targets for imports of US cars.A compromise was reached at the last minute, but the EU's mild approach, persuading Japan to sign up to a European agreement on automobile regulations, was a stark contrast and a great relief to Tokyo. The Europeans know that they have a huge amount of catching up to do in their dealings with East Asia, the fastest growing trade region in the world and one of the most unpredictable in terms of security and politics. The Japanese, on the other hand, hold up the EU's approach as a textbook example of the civilised, consensual way to do business, in contrast with the confrontational approach of the US.This was illustrated at the time of Sir Leon's visit last year. But, superficially Tokyo's relationship with the EU has a warmth and cordiality never seen in trade talks with Washington.The two sides have their own reasons for keeping things this way.

Combined trade between the two countries came to $183bn (pounds 1.2bn) in 1995, and bilateral relations are stiffened by the US-Japan security treaty.The fly in the ointment is Japan's perennial trade surplus. Even after the yen's rise last year dramatically raised the price of Japanese exports, Tokyo was still selling $43bn more to the US than it bought.The Europe-Japan line is weaker Total trade with the EU last year came to $128bn. But the magic which made him such a hit last summer is still there. Japanese politicians, their bureaucrats and business leaders, love Sir Leon for a very simple reason: he is not American.Tokyo's relations with the Western world are often described in terms of a triangle, with Japan, the US and Europe at its respective points.Between the US and Japan, the line is thick, if uneven.