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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 8 January 2020

Germany, NATO moving soldiers out of Iraq amid tensions

Associated Press Baghdad but elsewhere in
BERLIN (AP) — Germany Iraq.
moved 35 soldiers serving in NATO, meanwhile, said
Iraq to neighboring Jordan it was shifting some of its
and Kuwait on Tuesday, troops out of Iraq after
while NATO said it was also Baghdad called for foreign
shifting some of its troops forces to leave the coun-
out of the country amid try, but the U.S.-led military
tensions over the U.S. killing alliance hopes to return to
of a top Iranian general in continue training the Iraqi
an airstrike in Baghdad last military if asked once calm
week. is restored.
The killing of Iranian Revolu- The 29-nation military or-
tionary Guard command- ganization has around 500
er Qassem Soleimani has troops in Iraq — mostly from
drastically raised regional Canada, Spain and Turkey
tensions and escalated a — who are helping to train
crisis between Washington and build Iraq's security
and Tehran. forces so they can com-
German Defense Minister bat the Islamic State group
Annegret Kramp-Karren- alone. It wasn't immediate-
bauer and Foreign Minister NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference after a meeting ly clear how many troops
Heiko Maas wrote to law- of The North Atlantic Council at Ambassadorial level at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, would be moved out.
makers that the troops in Jan. 6, 2020. "We have temporarily sus-
the Iraqi bases in Baghdad Associated Press pended our training on the
and Taji would be "tempo- ground, and we are tak-
rarily thinned out," news stressed that talks with the train Iraqi troops would go tingent of some 120 soldiers ing all precautions neces-
agency dpa reported Iraqi government on a con- on. in Iraq, though the majority sary to protect our people,"
Tuesday. The two officials tinuation of the mission to Germany has a small con- are not stationed in Taji and NATO said. q

France calls on Britain to be flexible in post-Brexit talks

By SYLVIE CORBET kovic, at which discussions that the two sides are al-
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- on the enlargement of the ready so closely integrated.
dent Emmanuel Macron bloc will take place. France Others are more skeptical
said Tuesday that Britain has been at odds with oth- and think that only a bare-
will need to show flexibility er EU members over the bones agreement could be
in negotiations that will fol- process by which Albania forged in that limited time
low the country's departure and North Macedonia can frame. If no agreement is
from the European Union join the bloc, which after reached and Johnson re-
on Jan. 31. Britain's departure will total fuses to take up the option
Macron said post-Brexit 27 countries. of the extension, then tar-
talks will focus on maintain- Meanwhile in London, law- iffs and other impediments
ing deep links on security makers were set to debate on trade between the two
and foreign policy and de- Johnson's Brexit withdrawal sides will have to be put in
fending the EU's economic bill with the EU. Following place.
interests. December's general elec- French President Emmanuel Macron, right, shakes hands with On Wednesday, Johnson is
Macron said that in light of tion at which his Conserva- Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic at the Elysee Palace in set to meet with European
Prime Minister Boris John- tives won an 80-seat ma- Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. Commission President Ursu-
son's insistence that negoti- jority in the House of Com- Associated Press la Von Der Leyen in London
ations on the future have to mons, there is no doubt to begin the next stage of
be over by the year's end, that the deal will pass and ket and customs union un- That means discussions the Brexit discussions. So far,
Britain will need to show Britain will be on course to til the end of 2020. Though over the future relationship discussions have only cen-
"flexibility in line with that leave the EU on its sched- Britain has a one-off option on an array of issues, in- tered on citizens' rights, Brit-
ambitious schedule." uled departure date of to request an extension to cluding trade and security, ain's divorce bill and main-
Macron made the com- Jan. 31. this so-called transition pe- will have to be completed taining an open border
ments in Paris ahead of Following its departure, Brit- riod for a further two years, this year. between EU member Ire-
a meeting with Croatian ain will remain within the Johnson has insisted he Johnson says that's more land and Northern Ireland,
Prime Minister Andrej Plen- EU's tariff-free single mar- won't be taking that up. than enough time given which is part of the U.K.q