Munich: The United States and European powers voiced sharply differing views on issues from Mideast security to trade on Saturday, laying bare a deep trans-Atlantic rift in the era of President Donald Trump.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders at a three-day international security conference voiced dismay at a range of Trump decisions deemed hostile to America’s Nato allies.
In one awkward moment on Friday, US Vice President Mike Pence said he was bringing greetings from Trump, only to be met with stony silence from a room full of national leaders, ministers and generals.
Merkel said a looming new shot expected in a trade war — Washington readying to declare European car imports a “national security threat” — was “frightening”, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.
Especially Trump’s announcement he would soon pull American troops out of Syria has left allies scratching their heads about how to prevent further chaos and instability there.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian — whose country contributes about 1,200 troops in the region — asked why the US would create a power vacuum that could benefit its declared enemy Iran, calling it a “mystery.’’
A French government source criticised the Trump administration’s approach as “we’re leaving, you’re staying” and added: “They’re trying to manage the consequences of a hasty decision and making us carry the responsibility.”
In his main speech on Saturday, Pence delivered more stern advice for other nations in Europe and beyond.
He reiterated Washington’s contention that Iran was planning a new “Holocaust” and told European powers to scrap the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran that Trump ripped up last year.
He also criticised a recent initiative of France, Germany and Britain to allow European companies to continue business operations in the Islamic republic despite US sanctions.
EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said on Friday the bloc was determined to preserve the “full implementation” of the deal, stressing it was vital to European security.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas argued that without the pact, “the region will not be safer and would actually be one step closer to an open confrontation.’’ — AFP
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