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WORLD NEWS Friday 21 June 2024
‘Teflon Mark’ Rutte set to bring consensus-building skills from Dutch

politics as next NATO chief

By MIKE CORDER his office to a meeting eating
Associated Press an apple. When he handed in
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) his government’s resignation
— Over the course of more to King Willem-Alexander last
than a dozen years at the year, he drove to an ornate
top of Dutch politics, Mark royal palace in a Saab sta-
Rutte got to know a thing or tion wagon.
two about finding consensus On Thursday, he posed in
among fractious coalition jeans, a white shirt and sun-
partners. Now he’s on track glasses for selfies with people
to bring the experience of outside his office while sitting
leading four Dutch multiparty on his bicycle.
governments to the interna- While he was Dutch prime
tional stage as NATO’s new minister, Rutte was a strong
secretary general. supporter of Ukraine and its
On Thursday, Romania’s presi- right to defend itself after Rus-
dent withdrew from the race sia’s 2022 invasion. Under his
for the alliance’s top job, leav- leadership, the Netherlands
ing Rutte the only remaining pledged military hardware to
candidate and all but certain Kyiv including Leopard tanks
to head the world’s biggest and F-16 fighter jets.
military organization from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, greets Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during He said the war on Europe’s
October. arrivals for a NATO summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Monday, June 14, 2021. eastern flank was one of the
Rutte’s appointment could be Associated Press reasons for seeking the job
sealed by a meeting of NATO been put to the test. Secur- Rutte is a pragmatist and one The Associated Press. as NATO chief.
ambassadors in the coming ing the job of NATO chief of the few European politi- From history scholar to business “With everything that hap-
days, or when President Joe required all of Rutte’s diplo- cians to have developed a manager to politicsA history pened in Ukraine and the
Biden and his NATO coun- matic skills as he convinced good working relationship graduate and former human instability in the world and
terparts meet for a summit doubters, including Hungarian not just with Joe Biden, but resources manager at con- a number of people who
in Washington on July 9-11. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also with Donald Trump. That sumer products multinational thought I could maybe do
The secretary general chairs and Turkish President Recep could prove a key asset for Unilever, Rutte became prime it, you can’t just push that to
meetings and guide some- Tayyip Erdogan, to back his NATO after the November US minister of the Netherlands one side,” he said. “And it is,
times delicate consultations candidacy. presidential election,” said for the first time in October, of course, an unbelievably
among the 32 NATO member “It took a very long time. It’s Oana Lungescu, a former 2010. He quit last July as his interesting job.”
countries to ensure that an a complicated process, but chief NATO spokesperson. four-party coalition wrangled Rutte’s political career hasn’t
organization that operates it’s an honor that it appears Rutte “is seen as a safe pair over how to rein in migration. been all smooth sailing Rutte
on consensus can continue to have happened,” Rutte of hands to lead NATO in Although he has been one bounced back from a number
to function. The NATO leader told reporters in The Hague turbulent times, just as Stol- of Europe’s top politicians for of scandals while in office in
also ensures that decisions are before riding his bicycle away tenberg has done for the last years, Rutte has remained the Netherlands. He was so
put into action and speak on from work. decade,” Lungescu, now a down to earth. adept at preventing political
behalf of all members. A former NATO spokesper- Fellow with the defense and He can often be seen riding his stains sticking to him that he
Even before taking over from son said Rutte was a good fit security think tank, the Royal bicycle around his hometown earned the nickname Teflon
Jens Stoltenberg, Rutte has for the job. “Like Stoltenberg, United Services Institute, told of The Hague, or walking from Mark. q

Climate activists arrested for spray-painting private jets orange at

London airport

LONDON (AP) — Two cli- fire extinguisher to spray or- lice said the pop star’s air-
mate activists were ar- ange paint on at least two craft was not at the airport.
rested Thursday after cut- private jets. Swift is doing three shows
ting through a fence at a An airport spokesperson at London’s Wembley Sta-
London airport and spray- said the incident was three dium from Friday through
painting private jets or- miles (5 kilometers) from the Sunday. The arrests come
ange. main terminal and police a day after two of the
Essex police said two said there was no threat group’s activists were de-
women were arrested in the public. tained for spraying orange
a private area of London The airfield, 30 miles (50 ki- paint on Stonehenge.
Stansted Airport on suspi- lometers) northeast of cen- Just Stop Oil is one of many
cion of criminal damage tral London, is the city’s environmental groups
and interference with the third busiest airport and is around Europe that have
use or operation of nation- often used by government received attention and
al infrastructure. officials and visiting world blowback for disrupting
Environmental group Just leaders including U.S. Presi- sporting events, splashing
Stop Oil posted video of dent Joe Biden. paint and food on famous
someone cutting through a Just Stop Oil said the airfield works of art and interrupt- In this photo released by “Just Stop Oil”, an activist poses next
security fence followed by was where Taylor Swift’s jet ing traffic to draw attention to private airplane sprayed with orange paint at the Stansted
Airport, Britain, Thursday, June 20, 2024.
a clip of a woman using a was parked, but Essex po- to global warming.q Associated Press