Merkel issues warning to Trump ahead of G20 summit

[webfact]

Merkel issues warning to Trump ahead of G20 summit

By Noah Barkin and Roberta Rampton

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the lower house of parliament Bundestag to deliver State of the Nation Address ahead of EU summit and G20 in Berlin, Germany June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

 

BERLIN/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to fight for free trade and press on with multilateral efforts to combat climate change at the G20 summit next week, challenging the "America First" policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

In a defiant speech to parliament a week before she will host a summit of the world's top economic powers in Hamburg, the northern port city where she was born, Merkel did not mention Trump by name but said global problems could not be solved with protectionism and isolation.

 

Her remarks raised the prospect of an open clash with Trump at the summit. She later met with European G20 leaders who promised to present a united front in Hamburg, while making clear they preferred compromise to conflict.

 

"These will not be easy talks," Merkel said. "The differences are obvious and it would be wrong to pretend they aren't there. I simply won't do this."

 

The G20 summit will be held a little over a month after a G7 summit in Sicily exposed deep divisions between other western countries and Trump on climate change, trade and migration.

 

A short while later, Trump announced he was pulling the United States out of a landmark agreement to combat climate change reached in 2015 in Paris.

 

Ahead of the G20 summit, Trump's administration has threatened to take punitive trade measures against China, including introducing tariffs on steel imports.

 

This has made for an unusually tense atmosphere before the summit and German officials acknowledge they have little idea what the final communique will look like.

 

Asked about Merkel's comments, Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, said the U.S. relationship with Germany was "as strong as ever" and played down the discord.

 

"Of course there are going to be differences in relations with any country, and we'll talk frankly about those differences. The president enjoys those conversations," McMaster told reporters.

 

The German hosts face a difficult challenge. Along with Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan will be attending. All have strained relations with Merkel and other European leaders.

 

The summit, in a convention centre in the heart of Hamburg, could also be disrupted by tens of thousands of protesters expected to descend on the city of 1.7 million.

 

EXISTENTIAL CHALLENGE

 

Merkel said she was "more determined than ever" to make the Paris accord a success since Trump's decision to pull out, calling climate change an "existential challenge".

 

"We cannot wait until every last person on Earth has been convinced of the scientific proof," she said.

 

"Anybody who believes the problems of the world can be solved with isolationism and protectionism is making a big mistake," Merkel said.

 

Trump looks forward to discussing his economic rationale for quitting the deal during his G20 meetings, said Gary Cohn, his top economic adviser.

 

"He’s going to ask for a fair and level playing field. We cannot be in a position where the United States is cutting and cutting emissions while others continue to grow," Cohn told reporters.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron, in Berlin for the meeting of EU leaders, which included the prime ministers of Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Britain, said he hoped the United States would "return to reason" on climate. But he also stressed that it made little sense to try to isolate Trump in Hamburg.

 

"The relationship with the United States is a long-term one and it is deep," Macron said. "I believe we must continue an intense dialogue with the United States because of these ties which are historic and enduring."

 

At Macron's invitation, Trump will visit Paris a week after the July 7-8 G20 summit for Bastille Day celebrations. They spoke by phone on Tuesday and agreed to work together to respond to any new chemical attacks from the Syrian government.

 

Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of EU leaders, said in Berlin that European countries would speak with one voice in Hamburg, defending the rules-based international order that Trump has called into question.

 

(Editing by Janet Lawrence and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-30

[darksidedog]

I suspect Donald will have a very uncomfortable summit, but at least with Putin present, he can get fresh orders on how to continue destroying America.

[Somtamnication]

The only leader who can stand up to Trump. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

trump should try to sell her some cheap coal. 

[IAMHERE]

So, it is the G19 and the USA now. I'd say Trump is alone and most that are alone have to fend for themselves first.

[klauskunkel]

"Of course there are going to be differences in relations with any country, and we'll talk tweet frankly about those differences. The president enjoys those conversations tweets,"

[Stargeezr]

Merkel and her bunch should talk with China, the number 1 polluting country and then India and a few others before she worries about the USA.  How good is Germany by the way with their factories and polluting ways? 

   The G20 countries are all polluters, so good luck to all ,  and all stay honest Hey!

Geezer

[Lemonltr]

"Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to fight for free trade"

But not with those disloyal British 'brexits' unless they accept EU unemployed.

[humqdpf]

8 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

The only leader who can stand up to Trump. 

I get the impression that she would like to tell Trump to behave himself, not to be grabbing anyone, no barging in the photo queues, no off-colour jokes and tone down the sexist and other nasty jibes.

[darksidedog]

39 minutes ago, humqdpf said:

I get the impression that she would like to tell Trump to behave himself, not to be grabbing anyone, no barging in the photo queues, no off-colour jokes and tone down the sexist and other nasty jibes.

Telling the truth occasionally might help too.

[champers]

She wants to be considered as the leader of the free world. Germany should not forget who protected their country after WW2 and who invested to rebuild her industry and infrastructure.

[Suradit69]

Even legendary conservative commentators seem to have found the real Trump in the midst of all his Tweets.

 

 

Quote

William "Bill" Kristol is an American conservative political analyst and commentator. He is the founder and editor at large of the political magazine The Weekly Standard and a political commentator on several networks.

 

[blazes]

Well, we can be pretty sure Trump will not be attempting to grab any  part of Merkel's anatomy.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

Donald Tusk, the former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of EU leaders, said in Berlin that European countries would speak with one voice in Hamburg, defending the rules-based international order that Trump has called into question.

 

Yes, they will all speak with one voice, although it will consist of the combined voices of Merkel and Macron, appearing as one.  Rarely do the other 25 countries' names or voices  get mentioned or heard or their representatives seen.  It is all Merkel and Macron and with the proposed United States of Europe that will continue to be the case.

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, champers said:

She wants to be considered as the leader of the free world. Germany should not forget who protected their country after WW2 and who invested to rebuild her industry and infrastructure.

America did that, not Trump.  To equate the two is beyond ridiculous.

 

Once Trump, like World War 2, is reduced to a bad memory, America may be able to resume some degree of international respectability. 

 

[Caps]

1 hour ago, champers said:

She wants to be considered as the leader of the free world. Germany should not forget who protected their country after WW2 and who invested to rebuild her industry and infrastructure.

who did protect Germany after WW2?

 

I think you might find that Russia, UK, French and the US occupied Germany and it was nothing to do with protection 

Edited June 30, 2017 by Caps

[champers]

18 minutes ago, Caps said:

who did protect Germany after WW2?

 

I think you might find that Russia, UK, French and the US occupied Germany and it was nothing to do with protection 

It was everything to do with protection - from Soviet expansion and from the internal strife that followed WW1 and led to WW2.

[Caps]

14 minutes ago, champers said:

It was everything to do with protection - from Soviet expansion and from the internal strife that followed WW1 and led to WW2.

Ok, i thought its was after  the defeat of the Germans in WW2, the allied powers asserted their authority over all territories.  The four powers, Britain, France, US and Russia divided Germany into four occupation zones for administrative purposes, into what is collectively known now as Allied Occupied Germany.  Maybe later it was more about protection.

[Jonnapat]

This is one person who won't be bullied by Trump.

I'm not German but I have great respect for her as a politician with a lot of savvy

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, Suradit69 said:

America did that, not Trump.  To equate the two is beyond ridiculous.

 

Once Trump, like World War 2, is reduced to a bad memory, America may be able to resume some degree of international respectability. 

 

Actually, I believe Trump has a Time magazine cover posted on the Oval Office wall that shows him leading the troops landing at Normandy.

[ResandePohm]

3 hours ago, champers said:

She wants to be considered as the leader of the free world. Germany should not forget who protected their country after WW2 and who invested to rebuild her industry and infrastructure.

In that vein then we shall all remember the damage that the US is doing to the world for as many years to come. We shall not forget what the Trump facist is doing and the cost to the rest of the world some 72 years after the fact.

 

Your attitude is idiotic

[dunroaming]

7 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

The only leader who can stand up to Trump. 

 Note to world leaders:  Stand up to the moron Donald Trump and your popularity ratings will soar!  I would say that May should take note but her days are numbered so no point now.

[Andaman Al]

3 hours ago, champers said:

She wants to be considered as the leader of the free world. Germany should not forget who protected their country after WW2 and who invested to rebuild her industry and infrastructure.

Have you any idea how much the US made Germany 'pay' for those 'investments'? Germany have only recently just finished paying the WW2 reparations bill. Do they teach real history at school anymore? Or is it fake history?

[whatawonderfulday]

If he gets out of line then she will pee all over him,  that should do the trick

[whatawonderfulday]

3 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

Have you any idea how much the US made Germany 'pay' for those 'investments'? Germany have only recently just finished paying the WW2 reparations bill. Do they teach real history at school anymore? Or is it fake history?

And do you understand how much debt other countries got into borrowing money for the war effort in order to protect the world's freedoms, US included, , just because the US as usual decided not to enter the conflict for 2 years, instead preferred to bleed their so called allies to death financially

[Baerboxer]

10 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I suspect Donald will have a very uncomfortable summit, but at least with Putin present, he can get fresh orders on how to continue destroying America.

 

Sales of tin foil must be really increasing.

[Baerboxer]

1 hour ago, Andaman Al said:

Have you any idea how much the US made Germany 'pay' for those 'investments'? Germany have only recently just finished paying the WW2 reparations bill. Do they teach real history at school anymore? Or is it fake history?

 

Not sure the UK has finished paying off WW2 yet. Managed WW1 pay off a few years back.

[champers]

1 hour ago, Andaman Al said:

Have you any idea how much the US made Germany 'pay' for those 'investments'? Germany have only recently just finished paying the WW2 reparations bill. Do they teach real history at school anymore? Or is it fake history?

Whatever the German's paid it doesn't seem to have caused them too much harm. I don't recall people paying for a loaf of bread with a wheelbarrow full of Deutsch Marks. 

Some may say they ought to have contributed more to the countries they destroyed. I believe that viewpoint prevails in Greece. 

[dunroaming]

WW2?  Really do we have to dig up that every time Germany is mentioned.  We are talking about Merkel and it's 2017.  Now I admit that with every football match that involves England and Germany I do get rather patriotic but that is more to do with 1966 and even that is stretching it now!

 

Germany is the most influential country in Europe and what Merkel says carries a lot of weight there.  I just hope all the others follow suit and condemn Trump for what he is.

[Redline]

USA, Turkey and Russia...China is on a roll.  They are taking over while everyone is bumbling around:

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-tech-idUSKBN19L00R

http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-fintech-china-blockchain-idUSKBN19H2CA

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-china-islands-idUSKBN19L02J

 

Time to learn Mandarin!