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UK's Johnson plays down EU spat over military HQ
by Staff Writers
Brussels (AFP) May 15, 2017


Canada's top diplomat, defense chief visit Washington
Ottawa (AFP) May 15, 2017 - Canada's top diplomat and its defense chief will be in Washington on Monday and Tuesday as trade tensions mount between the two North American neighbors.

Global Affairs Canada, which promotes the country's international trade, said that Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan would meet with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

The ministers will also hold meetings "with important stakeholders to discuss Canadian priorities and cooperation between the two countries," the trade agency said.

The visit comes ahead of a summit of NATO member nations in late May, followed by the summit of G7 developed nations in Italy.

It also follows the confirmation of Robert Lighthizer as Donald Trump's Special Representative for Trade (USTR) on Thursday.

Lighthizer, seen as a trade hawk, will play a pivotal role in renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico.

Much of Trump's trade agenda has been on hold since Lighthizer's nomination in January.

Last week Ross, the US commerce secretary, said he hoped to resolve delays in Congress that would allow the White House to formally notify it of its intent to renegotiate NAFTA, which would start the 90-day clock before the talks could begin.

Separately, Ross said last month that Washington was imposing duties of up to 24 percent on Canadian lumber used in construction after the two countries failed to reach an agreement in the 35-year-old dispute over charges that Ottawa subsidizes the industry.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Monday downplayed differences with EU partners over the bloc's military ambitions, saying London supported their efforts to bolster defence cooperation.

Reports on Friday put Brexit-bound Britain in the dock for blocking the launch of an EU military headquarters because it opposed any suggestion the unit should have an active operational role.

EU diplomatic sources were quoted as saying the British government was anxious not be wrong-footed on the issue ahead of a June 8 general election dominated by Brexit.

But Johnson said the differences had been overdone and that the problem was about finding the right language, not the principle.

"We understand the vital importance of European countries working together to strengthen our defences," he said as he arrived for an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.

"If they want to come together... with other arrangements, then we don't want to stand in their way. We just (need to) work on the language to make sure that we get it totally right," he said.

In March, all 28 EU member states approved plans for what is known as a Military Planning Conduct and Capability (MPCC) facility in Brussels which would initially coordinate three of the bloc's overseas training operations.

These "non-executive military missions" in Mali, the Central African Republic and Somalia do not involve the use of force.

Diplomatic sources say French and German demands that the subsequent legal text refer to this unit as an "Operational Headquarters" were rebuffed by Britain.

According to a draft text of the conclusions seen by AFP, foreign ministers will agree Monday that the EU "looks forward to the effective establishment, as a short-term objective, of the MPCC".

The MPCC will assume "responsibilities at the strategic level for the operational planning and conduct of the EU's non-executive military missions".

If agreed, this text will go for approval to EU defence ministers who are meeting on Thursday.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, who chairs Monday's meeting, has pushed hard for the EU to take on an increased military role after President Donald Trump cast doubt on the US security commitment to Europe.

Brexit will deprive the bloc of both a nuclear-armed power which wields a UN Security Council veto and a member state which has consistently opposed EU defence integration as a risk to NATO.

Mogherini, top officials and member states led by France and Germany believe that against this backdrop, the European Union must now do much more on defence.

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G7 partners seek common ground with Trump
Bari, Italy (AFP) May 12, 2017
G7 finance ministers met here Friday, looking for common ground amid concern among the United States' partners about the implications of Donald Trump's 'America First' economic agenda. The talks, the first Group of Seven outing for US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, followed the overnight announcement of a surprise trade accord between Washington and China. The deal, securing better a ... read more

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Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com


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