Page 3 - Aruba Today
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U.S. NEWS A3
Tuesday 5 April 2016
Obama says NATO alliance remains key to collective security
K. HENNESSEY secretary general aimed President Barack Obama shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during
Associated Press to dispute that charac- their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 4, 2016.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- terization. In remarks after
dent Barack Obama on the meeting, Obama de- (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Monday called NATO “the scribed Europe as espe-
linchpin” of U.S. security cially burdened by instabil- posed quadrupling Pen- and training in Europe, as accelerating effort to deter
policy and a critical ally in ity and reliant on Trans-At- tagon spending on troops part of the U.S. military’s Russia. q
the fight against terrorism, lantic alliance.
indirectly countering Re- “This is obviously a tumul-
publican Donald Trump’s tuous time in the world.
recent claims that the Europe is a focal point of
67-year-old alliance is ob- a lot of these stresses and
solete. strains in the global secu-
Speaking after an Oval Of- rity system,” he said. “It is
fice meeting with NATO because of the strength of
Secretary General Jens Stol- NATO ... that I’m confident
tenberg, Obama praised that despite these choppy
the alliance’s contributions waters we will be able to
to the fight against the Is- continue to underscore
lamic State group, its part- and underwrite the peace
nership in Afghanistan and and security and prosperity
assistance in the refugee that has been a hallmark of
crisis in southern Europe. the trans-Atlantic relation-
“NATO continues to be the ship.”
linchpin, the cornerstone Stoltenberg described the
of our collective defense alliance “as important as
and U.S. security policy,” ever.”
Obama said. “NATO has been able to
Obama did not name adapt to a more danger-
Trump and ignored a re- ous world,” he said, noting
porter’s question about the the NATO had begun train-
Republican presidential ing Iraqi soldiers last week.
candidate’s recent state- Obama said he and Stol-
ments. Still, his comments tenberg discussed NATO’s
struck a strong contrast potential role in Libya, as
to Trump’s assertion that well as its plans to assist
NATO is irrelevant and ill- the European Union with
suited to fight terrorism. As the migrant crisis stemming
president, Trump has said from Syria’s civil war. He
he would force member says the migrants are tak-
nations to increase their ing very dangerous trips
contributions, even if that and that the response must
risked breaking up the alli- be “humane and thought-
ance. ful.”
Both the president and the Obama noted he has pro-
U.S. says Iran forces pulling
back in Syria; others say no
DEB RIECHMANN cal solution to end the five-
Associated Press year-old civil war between
WASHINGTON (AP) — The President Bashar Assad and
Obama administration is rebels, told Congress in late
making the case that Iran is February that Iran was re-
drawing down its elite fight- calling its IRGC forces from
ing force from Syria in an ef- Syria.
fort to allay fears that Teh- “On Iran, let me just inform
ran is using its powerful Is- everybody here that the
lamic Revolutionary Guard IRGC has actually pulled
Corps in Syria to strengthen its troops back from Syria,”
its influence across the Kerry told the House For-
Middle East. Yet the Iranian eign Affairs Committee.
government said Monday Iran’s supreme leader Aya-
it has dispatched com- tollah Ali Khamenei “pulled
mandos to the war and it is a significant number of
still taking high-ranking ca- troops out. Their presence is
sualties. actually reduced in Syria.”
Secretary of State John Ker- Other administration offi-
ry, who is deeply involved cials have backed Kerry’s
in trying to broker a politi- assertion.q
