US president George W Bush will use his first trip to Europe to make friends, admitting in a Telegraph interview that he has a "lot of work to do".

Bush's visit to Europe, which begins in Spain today, will set out to "look people in the eye" and "overcome diffences of opinions".

Despite the reported differences between Europe and the US Bush is still "optimistic".

"This is a president who values the common heritage and the values that unite us. There are some who obviously want to figure out issues that divide us, but that is typical of US politics, everything. I am an optimist; I am a positive person and I believe this is an incredibly important relationship and I'll work hard to nurture it," he told the Telegraph.