Team Trump on trial in Sicily ‘G7’ debut
‘Step up after attack’
TAORMINA, Italy, May 24, (AFP): Is Donald Trump really going to ditch the Paris climate change accord? Whither the sweeping tax cuts and America First trade policies he has also promised?
What is he up to in the Middle East and what exactly are his plans for North Korea?
US partners in the G7 club of industrialised democracies head for Sicily on Thursday hoping for at least partial answers to those and other questions from a US administration still deciding how to implement its radical policy agenda.
Six months after his election, Trump jets to the Italian island for the final leg of a gruelling first overseas trip that has temporarily diverted attention from an uncomfortable domestic spotlight on alleged campaign collusion with Russia.
By the time Air Force One touches down at a US military base, the presidential plane will have carried the new commander in chief to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Vatican and to NATO and EU headquarters in Brussels.
The 70-year-old may be forgiven if he is a little tired, but he will not escape a grilling from allies determined to divert him from a path they see as potentially disastrous for the architecture of the post-World War II world.
“The potential for friction is pretty great,” said Julilanne Smith, an analyst at the Centre for New American Security (CNAS).
“These are leaders that are not yet convinced about the value of Trump-onomics. They don’t understand it”.
Trump
Awaiting
Awaiting Trump in the ancient hilltop resort of Taormina will be ice cream makers who have been mixing up ‘gelatos’ in the shape and colour of his celebrated orange-blond quiff.
But the US president, who will not be the only new face on the G7 block, will be focused on meeting leaders he will likely have to deal with for the duration of his term.
These include the youthful duo of Canada’s Justin Trudeau, with whom Trump has already tussled on trade and border issues, and new French President Emmanuel Macron.
The American leader made few friends with his interventions in the French presidential election campaign, which included suggesting a terror attack in Paris would swing voters behind Macron’s far-right rival, Marine Le Pen.
Though Trump’s disdain for the EU does not sit well with Macron, both men share an interest in economic innovation and pro-business reforms. They are due to have lunch in Brussels on Thursday which could set the tone for the summit in Sicily.
Meanwhile, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the Manchester bombing shows the alliance must agree at a summit with US President Donald Trump to do more to combat terrorism.
Terrorism will be top of the agenda at Thursday’s meeting in Brussels which comes amid sharp divisions over joining the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group.
“I expect NATO allies to step up and agree to do more in the fight against terrorism, not least because of the attack we saw in Manchester,” Stoltemberg told a news conference on the eve of the summit.
Trump arrives in Brussels later Wednesday having said NATO was “obsolete” because it did not focus on the threat of Islamist terrorism.
He has since softened the criticism but still wants NATO to join the anti-IS coalition itself as an important gesture of support for the campaigns in Syria and Iraq.
All 28 allies have joined the coalition as individual countries and if NATO became a member, that would significantly boost coordination in the war against IS in Syria and Iraq, Stoltenberg recalled.
He said the “brutal attack” claimed by IS showed the terror threat remained ever present.
“Many allies would like to see NATO as a full member of the coalition,” Stoltenberg added.
“Firstly, because it sends a strong message of unity ... and especially in light of the attack in Manchester, I think it is important to send this message of unity against terrorism,” he said.