Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 29 September 2018

Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary of State, sits next
to a picture of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of
Bangladesh, as he waits for the start of meeting with their Prime
Minister in New York, Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.
Associated Press
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, left, and Ashton Carter, former U.S. Secretary of
Defense, speak at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., U.S. closes consulate
on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018.
Assorted Press
France calls for new global in southern Iraq

coalition of ‘goodwill powers’ following attacks

By SUSANNAH GEORGE country. It has been shaken
By COLLIN BINKLEY thing, without taking any few direct references to Associated Press by violent protests in recent
Associated Press kind of initiative? I think Trump but cited behavior WASHINGTON (AP) — The months over entrenched
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — our point of view is that we by the United States and State Department said Fri- corruption and poor public
France’s leaders proposed don’t,” he said. “In these Russia as two major factors day that it would tempo- services.
a new alliance of “goodwill uncertain times, it is impor- in his decision to pursue a rarily close the U.S. consul- Earlier this month, protest-
powers” on Friday in an at- tant that we speak up.” new alliance. ate in the southern Iraqi city ers turned their rage on
tempt to revive the type of Although it’s still little more He criticized the U.S. for of Basra following a rocket neighboring Iran, blam-
global diplomacy that they than an idea, the coali- backing out on deals in- attack earlier this month ing its outsized influence
say is being jeopardized tion would intend to go on cluding a 2015 accord blamed on Iranian-backed in Iraq’s political affairs for
by the United States, Rus- with or without the United meant to stop Iran from ob- militias. their misery. They stormed
sia and other countries that States. Still, the minister de- taining nuclear weapons, Diplomatic staff and their the Iranian consulate and
favor unilateralism over co- nied any attempt to isolate and he lamented that Rus- families were being evacu- set it on fire, causing signifi-
operation. French Foreign America, saying it would be sia and other nations have ated and consular services cant damage.
Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le embraced and could play paralyzed the U.N. Security will be provided from the About a week later, after
Drian announced the plan a strong role if it chooses Council by invoking their U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a Shiite militia vowed re-
during a speech at Har- to join.”We don’t want to veto power to block ac- State Department spokes- venge for the attack on
vard University, suggesting create any opposition. Our tion. But he said there are woman Heather Nauert the Iranian consulate, three
that Europe should align it- objective is to revive multi- plenty of other nations that said. Katyusha rockets were fired
self with countries like India, lateralism, which has been would make good allies for Secretary of State Mike at Basra’s airport, which
Australia, Mexico and other the way of doing things France and its neighbors Pompeo called it a “tem- houses the U.S. consul-
“powerful democracies” since the end of World War in Europe as they confront porary relocation” in re- ate. No casualties were
that share a commitment II,” he said. “It’s not against global problems including sponse to what he called reported. The temporary
to multilateralism. anybody, but we see it as a cybersecurity, immigration, “increasing and specific closure of the Basra con-
His speech described an real issue.” climate change and inter- threats” from the Iranian sulate comes as the Trump
erosion of the brand of di- The proposal builds on national crises in Syria and government and mili- administration is increasing
plomacy that brought na- French President Emman- Libya. Le Drian listed India, tias under its control. He pressure on Iran ahead of
tions together following uel Macron’s recent calls Australia, Japan, Canada warned that the U.S. would powerful sanctions set to
World War II and led to the for greater global coop- and Mexico as possible al- respond to any more at- take effect in November.
creation of the United Na- eration, including a Tues- lies that are committed to tacks. “I have advised the The Trump administra-
tions, saying some coun- day speech at the annual global cooperation. He is- Government of Iran that tion withdrew from the
tries now resort to disinfor- meeting of the United Na- sued a call “to create with the United States will hold landmark 2015 deal with
mation and intimidation to tions General Assembly in them a collective action to Iran directly responsible for Iran in May and has been
pursue their own interests. New York. initiate and suggest solu- any harm to Americans or gradually re-introducing
Speaking through an inter- Macron decried national- tions.” Still, he said discus- to our diplomatic facilities sanctions against the gov-
preter, he told The Associ- ism and self-interest in his sions are just beginning, in Iraq or elsewhere and ernment in Tehran. At a
ated Press that he believes speech, which followed and it’s too soon to know whether perpetrated by speech in New York this
the United States “method- shortly after U.S. President which countries may sign Iranian forces directly or by week, Pompeo ticked off
ically and regularly jeop- Donald Trump gave his on. associated proxy militias,” a list of complaints against
ardizes the fundamentals own address defending “Goodwill is just goodwill. he said. the Iranian government,
of multilateralism” through an America-first policy and It’s open to anybody,” he Basra hosts one of three from its support of Syr-
its approach to the U.N., saying he rejects “the ide- told the AP. “It’s something U.S. diplomatic missions in ian President Bashar Assad
trade deals and other inter- ology of globalism” in favor that is being discussed as Iraq. It is the country’s oil and Houthi rebels in Yemen
national agreements.”Do of “the doctrine of patrio- a way of getting out of the capital and main port but to sponsoring or plotting at-
we have to suffer that situ- tism.” quagmire we’re finding remains one of the least tempted terrorist attacks in
ation without doing any- At Harvard, Le Drian made ourselves in.”q developed parts of the Africa, Asia and Europe.q