CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, as part of his European tour, President Clinton is receiving a distinguished honor in the town of Aachen, Germany. Mr. Clinton has been given Charlemagne Award for his efforts to preserve peace. CNN's John King is in Germany and has more on the president's European trip -- John.</s>JOHN KING, CNN SR. CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol. This award, given to those who are recognized for contributing to European unity. The president recognized, he said it was a recognition not just for him personally, but also for the United States and its role in encouraging European unity. The president citing among those accomplishments, the U.S. lead role in the Kosovo conflict, the addition to the NATO alliance of several countries that, not long ago, were members of the old Soviet Union. The president said there was a lot to celebrate if you look back on the years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.</s>WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the last 11 years, of course, there have been some setbacks. But unquestionably, Europe today is more united, more democratic, more peaceful than ever, and both Europeans and Americans should be proud of that. Think how much has changed: borders built to stop tanks now manage invasions of tourists and trucks; Europe's fastest growing economies are now on the other side of the old Iron Curtain.</s>KING: But the president said a lot of work remained to be done; specifically, he said the United States and the wealthy European nations needed to do more to help Russia on its path to economic reform. And for all the celebration of unity and the congratulations the Europeans gave to the U.S. president, also signs of the strains in the alliance: The president criticized by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for moving ahead with plans to deploy a new U.S. national missile defense. The Europeans don't like it, and the Russians don't like it either, and will air their objections as the president heads on to his first summit meeting with the new Russian president, Vladimir Putin. John King, CNN, reporting live from Aachen, Germany.</s>LIN: Thank you, John.
Clinton in Europe: President Praises European Changes of Last 11 Years