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WORLD NEWS Friday 8 November 2019
French leader laments NATO's 'brain death' due to US absence

By LORNE COOK a constant theme since he
GEIR MOULSON came to office in 2016 and
Associated Press is expected to feature at
BRUSSELS (AP) — French the Dec. 3-4 summit in Lon-
President Emmanuel Ma- don.
cron claimed that a lack The United States is the big-
of U.S. leadership is caus- gest and most influential
ing the "brain death" of the member of NATO. It spends
NATO military alliance, in- more on its defense budget
sisting in an interview pub- than all the others com-
lished Thursday that the Eu- bined.
ropean Union must step up Macron said the European
and start acting as a strate- members of the 29-nation
gic world power. alliance "should reassess
Macron's public criticism of the reality of what NATO is
the state of the world's big- in the light of the commit-
gest military alliance was ment of the United States."
rejected by German Chan- But after talks with Stol-
cellor Angela Merkel and tenberg in Berlin, Merkel
NATO Secretary-General said, "The French president
Jens Stoltenberg, setting chose drastic words. That
the scene for a possible is not my view of coop-
showdown in London next French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint news conference with China's President Xi eration in NATO and I think
month when U.S. President Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. that such a sweeping blow
Donald Trump joins his Associated Press is not necessary, even if we
counterparts. partners with last month's have a right to head off on killed a U.S. soldier. NATO do have problems, even if
"What we are currently troop withdrawal. NATO their own, granted by the has played a major secu- we must pull together."
experiencing is the brain plays no role in Syria, apart United States of America, rity role in the country since More broadly, Trump's
death of NATO," Macron from helping the coalition they do it. And that's what 2003, but its future there is trade tariffs against the EU
told The Economist maga- fighting the Islamic State happened," Macron said. now unclear. have also rankled Europe-
zine. He said the United extremist group. But the Trump also wrong-footed Beyond that, the U.S. lead- an members of NATO and
States under Trump ap- move was seen by Turkey, the allies by announcing er publicly berated other have appeared to target
pears to be "turning its back another NATO ally, as a a troop drawdown in Af- leaders at a May 2017 sum- Germany. His decision to
on us," notably by pulling green light to invade the ghanistan and then de- mit for failing to boost their pull the United States out
troops out of northeast Syr- region. claring that peace talks military budgets. Trump's of the Paris climate agree-
ia without notice. "So as soon as you have with the Taliban were can- preoccupation with de- ment particularly annoyed
Trump surprised his NATO a member who feels they celed after a bomb attack fense spending has been Macron.q

Italy presses steelmaker to agree deal

on plant, save jobs

By FRANCES D'EMILIO
Associated Press
ROME (AP) — Italy has giv-
en steel maker ArcelorMit-
tal a few days to agree to
a plan to keep operating a
major southern Italian steel
plant, where the company
says legal challenges and
a "climate of hostility" will
hinder its business plans.
Political pressure was build-
ing Thursday both within It-
aly's squabbling center-left
government and the cen-
ter-right opposition to keep This Aug. 17, 2012 file photo shows chimneys of a steel plant in
the Taranto plant operating Taranto, southern Italy.
and avoid the thousands Associated Press
of layoffs that could result at continuing to operate culties it claims thwarts pro-
if ArcelorMittal backs out or the steel plant after the Ital- duction goals set out in a
slashes production. ian government recently deal with Italy. ArcelorMit-
"We have dangerously removed immunity from tal is currently leasing the
incompetent people in prosecution in case of en- steel plant under a con-
government," railed right- vironmental damage. But tract obliging it to acquire
wing leader Matteo Sal- in a letter sent Monday by it. The company now says it
vini, whose League party the company's Italian CEO, has a right to get out of the
is Parliament's biggest op- Lucia Morselli, ArcelorMit- contract since conditions
position force. The French- tal also cited various legal governing it allegedly are
Indian steelmaker balked challenges and other diffi- no longer being met. q