U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China

[webfact]

U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China

By Steve Holland

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton walks to give an interview to Fox News outside of the White House in Washington, U.S. July 31, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

LONDON (Reuters) - John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, arrived in London on Sunday for talks at which he is expected to urge Britain to toughen its stance on Iran and Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei.

 

As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, its biggest geopolitical shift since World War Two, many diplomats expect London to become increasingly reliant on the United States.

 

Bolton’s two days of talks on Monday and Tuesday, to include a heavy focus on Brexit, reflect the Trump White House’s attempts to solidify ties with the new British government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson after Trump’s strained relationship with former Prime Minister Theresa May.

 

Bolton is expected to urge British officials to align policy on Iran more closely with that of Washington, which has pressured Tehran with ever-tightening sanctions after Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal.

 

Britain has so far backed the European Union in sticking with the nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but the seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure on London to consider a tougher stance.

 

British marines seized an Iranian vessel, which is suspected of smuggling oil to Syria, off the coast of Gibraltar on July 4. This month, Britain joined the United States in a maritime security mission in the Gulf to protect merchant vessels.

 

A senior Trump administration official said Bolton’s argument to the British will be that it would help add pressure on Iran if London would declare the JCPOA dead but that such a decision was not expected soon.

 

Trump has also pushed Britain to get tougher on China’s Huawei out of concern its next-generation 5G technology represents a national security risk. Washington wants its allies, including Britain, to avoid using equipment from Huawei.

 

Under former PM May, the British government decided in principle to give Huawei limited access to non-core parts of the 5G network, but the senior U.S. official said Bolton hoped to find a friendlier audience on the topic from the Johnson government. A final British decision has not yet been taken.

 

Bolton plans to argue that Huawei is an arm of the Chinese government and that its hardware could be used to monitor communications that go through its system.

 

Trump and New York-born Johnson have spoken frequently on the phone since the new prime minister took power andTrump wants to seal a U.S.-British free trade agreement in order to help cushion Britain when it exits the European Union.

 

The two leaders are to meet later this month at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France.

 

Bolton, who met last week in Washington with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, is to have lunch on Monday with Britain’s cabinet secretary, Mark Sedwill, and later meet at No. 10 Downing Street with Edward Lister, who is Johnson’s chief strategic adviser. 

 

Later in the day, Bolton will meet Sajid Javid, Johnson's new finance minister.

 

On Tuesday, Bolton is due to meet Liz Truss, Britain’s international trade secretary, and Ben Wallace, the new defence secretary, as well as Steve Barclay, the minister for exiting the European Union, among other officials. 

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland, editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-08-12

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[NightSky]

A sign of things to come after Brexit.

 

Which is one reason the UK shouldn't be leaving the EU and instead reforming the rules of the EU from within the EU to improve for all member states.

 

[Opl]

10 minutes ago, NightSky said:

A sign of things to come after Brexit.

 

Which is one reason the UK shouldn't be leaving the EU and instead reforming the rules of the EU from within the EU to improve for all member states.

 

and more to come, such as 

The Trump administration has made it clear to Boris Johnson that any post-Brexit US-UK free trade deal would rely on Britain dropping plans to tax giant tech firms

[Somtamnication]

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

[Joe Mcseismic]

2 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

Of course he'll be a lap-dog. Why wouldn't he be when the US holds the key to a trade deal over his head. One of the very things that will make Brexit a success, or a failure.

[NightSky]

11 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

are you kidding, they will be best of buds...

 

Johnson is the court Jester

[soalbundy]

10 minutes ago, Somtamnication said:

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

especially with Johnson, poodles have to obey their master to get their food bowl filled, trade deal anyone ?

[soalbundy]

Just now, NightSky said:

are you kidding, they will be best of buds...

 

Johnson is the court Jester

not buddies, master and servant, it's that sort of special relationship. With the EU Britain had a voice, with the USA Britain can't even whisper.

[quandow]

This scumbag never met a country he didn't want to bomb.

[soalbundy]

Shouldn't that be orders instead of urges ?

[Estrada]

1 hour ago, quandow said:

This scumbag never met a country he didn't want to bomb.

I was thinking that this was untrue, because surely he would not want to bomb the United States, but then I thought about Trump's comments on rat infested Baltimore.

 

[tomacht8]

The vultures are already sniffing the carcass. Privatization of health insurance, GM food, US controlled communication networks. The UK must be careful not to be involved in Trumps Iran adventure and his Chinese trade war.

[scorecard]

War monger, nothing more.

[Paul Henry]

Potus may have trouble pulling in countries to be bed partners with the USA. Recent visit from Pompao to Australia and comments following that the US would like to station mid range missiles in the north of Australia to be in striking range of major Asian countries bought a very swift response from both Government and oppsosion they want no part of any such agreement. I think many other countries will react the same away with my button is bigger than your button CIC.

[soalbundy]

He has a face that one would like to punch over and over again

[tonbridgebrit]

Bolton, shut it.
Back in the Vietnam War, you supported that war, but you went all out to not fight there.
And that invasion of Iraq in 2003, you supported it.

Bolton is a "neo-Con", a war monger, a danger to world peace. He should shave his moustache at the sides, make it far more narrow. Bolton will then look like Adolf.  

[billd766]

5 hours ago, NightSky said:

A sign of things to come after Brexit.

 

Which is one reason the UK shouldn't be leaving the EU and instead reforming the rules of the EU from within the EU to improve for all member states.

 

David Cameron tried that when he was PM and got nowhere which is one reason for Brexit.

[Chomper Higgot]

A pattern is emerging. 

[evadgib]

43 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Bolton, shut it.
Back in the Vietnam War, you supported that war, but you went all out to not fight there.
And that invasion of Iraq in 2003, you supported it.

Bolton is a "neo-Con", a war monger, a danger to world peace. He should shave his moustache at the sides, make it far more narrow. Bolton will then look like Adolf.  

He's already dead ringer for Lloyd George...

[spidermike007]

I personally urge tougher measures against Blindfold Bolton. He is one of the world's most dangerous men, and he is the US National Security advisor! Incredible that a man possessing the degree of hubris, arrogance, a war mongering nature, and a man with a vast ignorance of historical precedent, could be put into this position. Only Trump, who makes a habit of selecting from the bottom of the barrel, in terms of talent, would do something like this. The world must resist this fool Bolton, with all of it's power and will. 

 

However, more than likely Johnson will be a very obedient partner with the Trump administration. They are both made from the same mold. The mold of ignorance. 

[Baerboxer]

8 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

 

He's an American citizen although might have given it up as he wants to avoid their taxes!

[NightSky]

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

David Cameron tried that when he was PM and got nowhere which is one reason for Brexit.

He was making some ground and before anything could come from it a referendum was called as a bluff. I bet half the folks who voted didn't have a clue what leaving the EU entailed, it was simply a show of dissatisfaction with their lot. The alternative as we can see is to be pushed around by other powers further afield.

Edited August 12, 2019 by NightSky

[IAMHERE]

9 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

Well, who's lapdog will they be ?

[Joe Mcseismic]

5 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Well, who's lapdog will they be ?

Obviously, the EU.......

[mrfill]

10 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Hopefully with Johnson, UK won't be the yank's lap dog anymore.

You do realise that BJ is a New Yorker and only renounced his US citizenship a few years ago when they started to tax US citizens on world wide income?

 

Once the vultures and parasites have had their pick we'll probably end up like Puerto Rico. Isolated and dependent on the US, but not considered good enough to be the 51st state.

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

He's an American citizen although might have given it up as he wants to avoid their taxes!

He has surrendered his US citizenship, but that does not necessarily remove his tax liabilities.

[Sujo]

Trump has no advisors. He listens to a couple of people, ignores it and does whatever he can to disrupt. He loves putting people and agencies into chaos then pretends to fix what he alone broke and say he is the man to get results.

 

He thinks because he is an ego maniac that all other leaders are the same. Most see through him, smile, pat him on the head and walk away to wait for a grown up who can be trusted to keep their word.

 

The world is just on hold until the mistake is corrected. Unfortunately it will take the US much longer to recuperate from the chaos than the rest of the world.

[candide]

13 hours ago, NightSky said:

A sign of things to come after Brexit.

 

Which is one reason the UK shouldn't be leaving the EU and instead reforming the rules of the EU from within the EU to improve for all member states.

 

It will be even more interesting when an 'independent' UK negotiates trade agreements with both the USA and China! ????

[Scott]

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