WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 - Condoleezza Rice, greeted by warm applause as she arrived for her first full day as secretary of state, declared Thursday that diplomacy would be the main tool in spreading democracy in the world, and she announced plans to travel to Israel and to eight nations in Europe beginning next week.

"The president has set forth a really bold agenda for American foreign policy," Ms. Rice said, standing on a staircase in the lobby of the department. "And the State Department has got to be in the lead in this period in which diplomacy will be so important to solidifying the gains of the last few years and to pressing forward an agenda for a freer and more prosperous world."

Richard A. Boucher, the State Department spokesman, said Ms. Rice´s main purpose on her trip would be to pave the way for President Bush´s own visit to Europe, the first one planned for his new term, from Feb. 22 to 25. The main focus of Ms. Rice´s attention, Mr. Boucher said, would be the Arab-Israeli situation, Iraq and support for democracy in the Middle East.

In Israel, he said, Ms. Rice would meet with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and would probably also meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his team.

Administration officials say that there has been considerable progress in recent days in discussions between Mr. Sharon´s government and Mahmoud Abbas, the newly elected Palestinian president, and that Mr. Bush and Ms. Rice were determined to take advantage of the momentum.

"The opportunity exists to move forward, but success remains an uncertain proposition," said David M. Satterfield, deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, speaking at the government-financed United States Institute of Peace. He called on both Israel and the Palestinians to take steps to ensure that progress is made.

Mr. Boucher said Ms. Rice´s trip to Europe was part of a renewed Bush administration effort to find common ground on a range of policies and to move beyond the disputes that have surrounded the Iraq war over the last two years. Ms. Rice will visit Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg.

But European and American officials said in interviews on Thursday that despite conciliatory public pronouncements on both sides of the Atlantic, and a determination to deepen cooperation on a number of subjects, there were still deep differences on subjects like Iran and Iraq.

The officials said that after a period of cooperation on Iran, where Europeans have taken the lead in trying to get Tehran to give up its suspected nuclear weapons program, a series of American statements in the news had rattled European public opinion.

There was considerable news coverage, for instance, of a comment by Vice President Dick Cheney that if Iran developed nuclear weapons, Israel might strike pre-emptively. In Europe, the comment was seen as provocative and also a warning to the Europeans to redouble their efforts to negotiate with Tehran.

President Bush´s Inaugural Address proclaimed his determination to push for freedom throughout the world - though not "primarily" by force of arms - and did not particularly reassure Europeans that the United States had ruled out the further use of force, particularly on the Iranian situation.

Europe has been pressing for more American involvement in the offering of economic incentives and political recognition to Tehran. In return, Iran would be expected to agree to implement a pledge to stop its program of enriching uranium and taking other steps that the West suspects are aimed at making arms.

"The American attitude toward Europe is, ´We wish you well with your effort, but we can´t support it in an active way, because we don´t want to legitimize this regime,´ " said a senior European diplomat. "It´s, ´Hey you guys, you´re on your own.´ But sooner or later, that attitude is going to have to change."

Another senior European diplomat who visited recently with Ms. Rice and other top administration officials said there was also a worry in Europe that the United States would not actively urge Israel to meet the latest moves by Palestinian leaders with steps of its own to ease tensions.

Also on Ms. Rice´s agenda in Europe, administration officials said, was the discussion of democratic reforms in what is called the "broader" Middle East, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The next meeting on such reforms is to be held in Egypt in March, with Afghanistan and Pakistan excluded at Egypt´s request. An Arab diplomat said Egypt regarded these countries as non-Arab countries and as "failed states" and did not want them included in discussions of reforms in the Arab world.

"Condi Rice has a lot of capital, to use a Bush term," said one of the European diplomats. "Our patience will be short. If we hear that it´s business as usual, then I would expect frustration levels to go back to high rather quickly. But at the moment, the mood is one of maybe artificial optimism, but optimism." (Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company 01/28/05)