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Saturday 10 June 2017
Tillerson urges calm as Trump slams Qatar on terror EU’s Juncker urges
members to boost

By JOSH LEDERMAN ease their blockade on forceful endorsement of al-Qaida’s branch in Syria. defense spending
Associated Press Qatar and had credited this week’s move by Saudi Trump said Arab leaders he
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- the kingdom with progress Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and met with in Saudi Arabia By KAREL JANICEK
dent Donald Trump ac- in curbing terror funding. Til- the United Arab Emirates last month had urged him Associated Press
to confront Qatar over its PRAGUE (AP) — European
behavior. Union leaders urged the EU
“The time had come to call on Friday to lift its defense
on Qatar to end its fund- spending for its own sake,
ing,” Trump said. not because of pressure
“They have to end that from U.S. President Donald
funding.” Trump or Britain’s looming
Addressing a White House departure from the bloc.
news conference, the Trump has demanded that
president said Qatar had NATO’s 22 EU members
“historically been a funder hike spending to 2 percent
of terrorism at a very high of gross domestic product
level.” on military budgets.
Other U.S. officials have The European Commission
said Qatar has already tak- has launched debate on
en some steps to reduce what direction EU defense
terror funding but that the cooperation should take
steps are insufficient. once Britain leaves in 2019.
It wasn’t immediately In a speech during a con-
clear how Trump’s sharp ference on EU security
condemnation might af- and defense in Prague on
fect U.S. cooperation with Friday, Commission Presi-
Qatar, which hosts some dent Jean-Claude Juncker
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks about Qatar at the State Department in Washington, Friday 10,000 U.S. troops and a said the way ahead “starts
June 9, 2017. Tillerson is calling on Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to major U.S. air base that with making sure we spend
immediately ease their blockade on Qatar.
(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) serves as a staging ground what is needed on our de-
for operations in Syria, Iraq fense.”
cused Qatar on Friday of lerson sat a few feet away to cut off ties to Qatar. and Afghanistan. He said the EU needs to “in-
funding terrorism “at a very from Trump in the Rose Increasing the pressure Fri- The Qatari Embassy in vest more, and invest in a
high level,” and said solv- Garden as the president day, those nations put 12 Washington did not im- more efficient way.”
ing the problem in the tiny put the blame squarely on organizations and 59 peo- mediately respond to a re- EU member states are
Persian Gulf nation could Qatar. ple on a terror sanctions list quest for comment. spending an average of
be “the beginning of the Launching an extraordi- and described them as be- In stressing the need to 1.3 percent of GDP on de-
end of terrorism.” nary allegation against a ing associated with Qatar, take action against Qatar, fense, much less than the
“No more funding,” Trump key U.S. military partner, which called the allega- Trump appeared to under- United States, Russia and
said. Trump derided what he tions “baseless.” cut Tillerson, China, Juncker said.
Trump’s condemnation of called Qatar’s “extremist Notwithstanding Qatar’s who had called on Qa- Many defense projects are
Qatar deviated sharply ideology in terms of fund- denials, tar’s neighbors to immedi- done on national level with
from the message deliv- ing” terrorist groups, an Western diplomats accuse ately ease their blockade. no coordination, he add-
ered by his secretary of accusation Qatar has re- Qatar’s government of al- Tillerson has been tapped ed. As a result, “there some
state, Rex Tillerson, who peatedly and vehemently lowing or even encourag- by Trump to help mediate 170 different weapon sys-
only an hour earlier had denied. ing the funding of some the worst diplomatic crisis tems in the EU, compared
called on Arab nations to His comments were a Sunni extremists, such as in the Gulf in years. q to 30 in the United States.”
“It’s no longer a question
Trump commits to NATO mutual defense alliance of national sovereignty,”
Juncker said. “It’s a ques-
tion of European sover-
AP Diplomatic Writer others expressed concern we are there to protect, defense.” eignty.”
Associated Press last month when Trump did and that’s one of the rea- Trump’s omission in Brus- The EU unveiled a new de-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- not mention the clause in sons that I want people to sels raised concerns on fense fund on Wednesday
dent Donald Trump says a speech at NATO head- make sure we have a very, both sides of the Atlantic provide a total of 500 mil-
the United States is commit- quarters in Brussels. In that very strong force by paying Ocean. White House aides lion euros ($563 million) in
ted to the mutual defense speech, Trump demand- the kind of money neces- said the president’s support EU money in 2019 and 2020
of NATO members, casting ed that allies live up to a sary to have that force. But was implied even though to help buy and develop
aside concerns that his fail- pledge to spend 2 per- yes, absolutely, I’d be com- he deliberately did not ut- military equipment.
ure to mention the commit- cent of their gross domes- mitted to Article 5.” ter the words. This would double to 1 bil-
ment last month weakened tic product on defense by The White House later reaf- Still, allies had questions lion euros annually from
the alliance. 2024. He did not specifical- firmed the commitment in about Trump’s belief in the 2020.
Trump said Friday that he ly mention Article 5, which a statement announcing value of NATO, which he Besides increasing its de-
was “committing the Unit- has only been invoked that Trump will visit Poland had termed “obsolete” fense, Juncker said NATO
ed States to Article 5.” That once, after the Sept. 11, next month as part of his during the presidential remains crucial for the EU’s
article in the NATO treaty 2001, terrorist attacks. second foreign trip. It said campaign. security.
says an attack on one “I’m committing the United that in addition to show- On Friday, Trump noted “NATO has been and will
member is an attack on all States to Article 5,” Trump ing America’s support of that only a handful of remain a cornerstone of
members and binds the al- told reporters at a news Poland, the trip will also NATO’s 29 members — European security,” he
lies to come to that coun- conference Friday with vis- emphasize the president’s Montenegro joined just this said. “We’re different but
try’s defense. iting Romanian President commitment to strength- week — were meeting the have to complement each
European countries and Klaus Iohannis. “Certainly ening NATO’s “collective 2 percent pledge. q other in so many ways.”q