Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Obama aims to mend US-German relations on Bavarian trip
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 06 - 2015

ELMAU, Germany — President Barack Obama is aiming to show unity with Western allies on global challenges during an overnight trip to Germany, especially Chancellor Angela Merkel amid enduring anti-Americanism in her country over US spying programs.
Obama and Merkel plan to open his visit on Sunday with a public display of friendliness, delivering remarks about the US-German alliance before they stroll through the picturesque alpine village of Kruen to sample the Bavarian food and sights. The two plan to meet privately afterward at the nearby site of the two-day summit of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations to coordinate their agenda before joining the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.
As the president stepped off Air Force One after an overnight flight from Washington, he was greeted by a group children and adults in traditional Bavarian outfits. He then boarded the presidential helicopter for a flight through the mountains to meet Merkel.
The G-7 meeting at the Schloss Elmau resort is expected to be dominated by discussions of the West's response to the clashes between Ukraine and pro-Russian forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin was ousted from the group last year over his aggressive moves on the former Soviet state.
Also high on the agenda are the global economy, terrorism and trade as Obama negotiates separate pacts across the Pacific and Atlantic.
Obama is closer to Merkel than most heads of state, although their relationship has been tested in the past couple of years, particularly after it emerged that the National Security Agency had tapped Merkel's cellphone. The revelation was particularly chilling in Germany, with its oppressive history of secret government surveillance.
The spying controversy has grown in recent weeks amid reports that Germany's own Federal Intelligence Agency, better known by its German acronym BND, may have helped the US spy on European companies and officials as long ago as 2008. Merkel's chief of staff oversees the agency, and the opposition Social Democrats — who are struggling in opinion polls — have used it to put her office under pressure.
“While we tend to view a lot of the impact of the NSA revelations in Europe as subsided, they have not subsided in Germany,” said Heather Conley, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “This issue is being used in multiple ways to increase, I think, anti-Americanism in Germany and to weaken the chancellor.”
Germans also will be looking to future US relations beyond Obama's presidency, with 2016 presidential hopeful Jeb Bush planning to kick off a six-day European trip with a speech in Berlin on Tuesday to the economic council of the Christian Democratic Union, the conservative party led by Merkel.
In their last meeting, in February at the White House, Obama called Merkel “my close friend and partner.” Merkel addressed him as “dear Barack” while acknowledging tensions over the spying programs they are still working to overcome.
“There are still different assessments on individual issues there, but if we look at the sheer dimension of the terrorist threat, we are more than aware of the fact that we need to work together very closely,” Merkel said. Obama said there “was no doubt” the spying revelations damaged impressions of the United States in Germany and that he's been trying to restore confidence.
“Occasionally I would like the German people to give us the benefit of the doubt, given our history, as opposed to assuming the worst,” he said. Julianne Smith, a former Obama White House official who is a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security, said part of the disillusionment in Germany and Europe more broadly comes from their sky-high expectations of Obama when he came to office. Hundreds of thousands turned out in the streets to hear Obama speak during a visit to Berlin during his 2008 campaign.
“It's been an interesting ride, and I think, frankly, everybody needs this summit,” she said. “They need the photo ops, they need to show the unity. They need it for their publics at home. They need it to send signals to President Putin that they're united. And, frankly, they need it because they have to trade notes behind closed doors on what their next steps are on a lot of these global challenges.” — AP


Clic here to read the story from its source.