Amid divisions with Macron, Trump to travel to Paris to discuss Syria, terrorism

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Amid divisions with Macron, Trump to travel to Paris to discuss Syria, terrorism

By Ayesha Rascoe

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump looks at French President Emmanuel Macron before a family photo at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Paris on Wednesday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron where the two leaders will seek to work together on Syria and countering terrorism, while avoiding the thorny issues that have divided them.

 

Trump and Macron -- both political newcomers who scored upset victories in their presidential elections -- have taken very different positions in areas such as climate change and trade.

 

U.S. and French officials have said Trump's visit to Paris will allow the leaders to focus on those places where their interests overlap, including resolving the conflict in Syria and combating global terrorism.

 

Macron invited Trump to France to celebrate July 14 Bastille Day festivities and to commemorate the 100 years since U.S. troops entered into World War One.

 

"It's for France a unique opportunity to show French military power ... and that's very important for Trump," said Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, director of the Paris office of think-tank the German Marshall Fund.

 

Trump has repeatedly hammered away at European allies in NATO for not paying their fair share on military spending.

 

Although France has not met NATO's target of spending 2 percent of GDP on the military, Trump is satisfied that the country is very close to meeting that goal, a White House official said on Tuesday.

 

Trump will arrive in Paris early Thursday morning. He will participate in a welcoming ceremony at Les Invalides, where he will tour a French war museum and visit the tomb of Napoleon. Then Trump and Macron will hold a bilateral meeting followed by a news conference, the White House said.

 

Macron and Trump, along with their wives, plan to dine at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower Thursday night.

 

Trump's brief trip to France follows his attendance of the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany last week. The United States was left relatively isolated during the summit, when it reaffirmed Trump's decision to pull out of a landmark international accord reached in Paris in 2015 to fight climate change.

 

In hard-fought negotiations in Germany, Macron tried to soften U.S. language on climate policy.

 

"They have completely contrasting messages, where Trump has argued for 'America first,' Emmanuel Macron is arguing for a kind of cosmopolitan globalist vision of France and of Europe," said Erik Jones, director of European and Eurasian Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

 

"That is going to create very sharp contrast when the two meet in France," Jones said.

 

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-12

[observer90210]

Wonder who will buy from the other, a wholesale stock of military gear and toys at taxpayers expense?...win win perhaps?....The homeless in the streets of NYC or Paris send their compliments!

Edited July 12, 2017 by observer90210

[dunroaming]

Seems a bit odd for Trump to personally fly to Paris for discussions on anything.  This is something for his administration to do, not him.  I suspect he is just running away from the current furore in Washington. 

[Yann55]

I love the expression on Macron's face. Just about says it all ....

 

But hey, I wasn't aware that Macron had 2 wives. Because he does have 2 rings which both furiously look like wedding rings.

 

[dunroaming]

8 minutes ago, Yann55 said:

I love the expression on Macron's face. Just about says it all ....

 

But hey, I wasn't aware that Macron had 2 wives. Because he does have 2 rings which both furiously look like wedding rings.

 

He's French so......... but I like your description of the rings

[Emster23]

Trump was invited? Or just decided he needed to get out of Dodge?

Maybe French immigration won't let him in, as he has been identified as terrorist threat

[Grouse]

6 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Wonder who will buy from the other, a wholesale stock of military gear and toys at taxpayers expense?...win win perhaps?....The homeless in the streets of NYC or Paris send their compliments!

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/24/politics/us-arms-sales-worldwide/index.html

 

They are competitors

 

Interesting to see who are the USA's largest arms customers!

 

France is number 2 in the world. After US but ahead of Russia.

 

http://www.iiss.org/en/militarybalanceblog/blogsections/2016-629e/october-96af/french-arms-exports-success-a148

 

And here's everything you wanted to know!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_industry

Edited July 12, 2017 by Grouse

[Morch]

6 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Wonder who will buy from the other, a wholesale stock of military gear and toys at taxpayers expense?...win win perhaps?....The homeless in the streets of NYC or Paris send their compliments!

 

Wonder if you're aware both countries being major arms manufacturers and actually competing for markets. Doubt any major arms deals will be discussed or signed. France uses mostly domestic (or EU) developed and manufactured systems. I think the only major US made platforms they have are some E-3's and C-130's. Far as I recall, the US does not operate arms systems made in France.

[observer90210]

2 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Wonder if you're aware both countries being major arms manufacturers and actually competing for markets. Doubt any major arms deals will be discussed or signed. France uses mostly domestic (or EU) developed and manufactured systems. I think the only major US made platforms they have are some E-3's and C-130's. Far as I recall, the US does not operate arms systems made in France.

you are wrong...France has US Made military equipment in it's army...

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Équipements_de_l'Armée_de_terre_française

 

[observer90210]

2 hours ago, Grouse said:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/24/politics/us-arms-sales-worldwide/index.html

 

They are competitors

 

Interesting to see who are the USA's largest arms customers!

 

France is number 2 in the world. After US but ahead of Russia.

 

http://www.iiss.org/en/militarybalanceblog/blogsections/2016-629e/october-96af/french-arms-exports-success-a148

 

And here's everything you wanted to know!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_industry

France has US made military gear in it's army.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Équipements_de_l'Armée_de_terre_française

[Morch]

1 hour ago, observer90210 said:

you are wrong...France has US Made military equipment in it's army...

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Équipements_de_l'Armée_de_terre_française

 

 

Not really. Some support vehicles and small arms aren't a big deal. The only other thing is the MLRS. But by and large, France is mostly self reliant (or involved in EU projects). When talking about major arms deals, the sort you imagined in your first post, that's more to do with aircraft, tanks, armored vehicles, ships, and missiles. In comparison to both countries' arms trading, these things are peanuts. 

[observer90210]

Money is never peanuts in arms dealings, no matter how big or small, as jobs are involved.

[Grouse]

4 hours ago, observer90210 said:

France has US made military gear in it's army.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Équipements_de_l'Armée_de_terre_française

Minime 

[Srikcir]

As both the US and France are major military powers in NATO I wouldn't be surprised that they as well as other NATO nations carry small arms that meet NATO specs manufactured by NATO members. That's good business and advances technologies shared by all NATO nations.

[simple1]

17 hours ago, dunroaming said:

Seems a bit odd for Trump to personally fly to Paris for discussions on anything.  This is something for his administration to do, not him.  I suspect he is just running away from the current furore in Washington. 

From the OP.

 

Macron invited Trump to France to celebrate July 14 Bastille Day festivities and to commemorate the 100 years since U.S. troops entered into World War One.

[Morch]

11 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Money is never peanuts in arms dealings, no matter how big or small, as jobs are involved.

 

A nothing statement which doesn't amount to the point and sentiment originally posted.

Jobs are involved, one way or another, in any trade, arms or otherwise. It doesn't mean that the figures of money involved are similar, or that they do not matter.

 

[Grouse]

3 hours ago, simple1 said:

From the OP.

 

Macron invited Trump to France to celebrate July 14 Bastille Day festivities and to commemorate the 100 years since U.S. troops entered into World War One.

And 99 years since they left?