Obama on last Europe visit to reassure ‘worried’ allies

Athens / AFP

US President Barack Obama flew into Athens on Tuesday on his final foreign trip to Europe, seeking to calm the nerves of allies concerned by Donald Trump’s shock presidential election victory.
With Europeans worried by Trump’s downplaying of the importance of the NATO military alliance, Obama pointedly told Greek daily Kathimerini before his visit that Washington had to resist the “urge” of isolationism.
“Our best chance for progress is to resist the urge to turn inward and instead reinvigorate our shared values and work together,” Obama said.
Speaking to reporters on the eve of the trip, Obama cautioned his brash successor that he faces a reality check if he tries to enact some of his more controversial campaign promises.
“This office has a way of waking you up,” said the outgoing president.
And as Obama touched down in Athens, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said he was confident Trump would live up to US commitments to the alliance.
“I am certain that he will be a president… who will live up to all the commitments of the United States in the alliance, because a strong NATO is important for Europe but it’s also important for the United States,” Stoltenberg said.

Challenge of globalisation
The fourth president to travel to Greece, Obama will visit the Acropolis before delivering a much-awaited speech on the challenges of globalisation. He will then hold talks with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Security was tight in central Athens, with thousands of police officers on the streets and traffic set to be disrupted for several hours.
On Wednesday, Obama travels to Germany, where he will speak with close ally Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the French and British leaders. He concludes his trip with a stop in Peru for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, president-elect Trump was set for another meeting with running mate Mike Pence to discuss cabinet appointments amid reports of intense infighting over choice posts.
Trump appears torn between a campaign promise to shake up Washington and the need to build a cabinet with political experience and connections with Congress.
Possible candidates for secretary of state include hawkish former diplomat John Bolton and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, US media reported. Retired General Michael Flynn is a possible national security advisor pick, while Republican Senator Jeff Sessions could be secretary of defence or attorney general, according to CNN.

Suspicious of US
Greek leaders are anxious for a new US pledge to help alleviate the country’s enormous public debt, a measure actively sought by the International Monetary Fund but opposed by leading European lender Germany.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said Obama’s visit would “contribute to promoting a fair and viable solution on the Greek debt”.
Obama is also expected to address Europe’s challenge in accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees who have arrived on the continent fleeing conflict in the Middle East.
Athenians voiced mixed feelings about Obama’s visit.
“We live in the hope that it will bring something positive for Greece and the region,” said Spyros, a 30-year-old civil servant.
Ekaterini Tsarmoutzi, a private employee, said Obama “was nice as a person, but above all he is an American”.
Many Greeks are suspicious of the United States after it helped install a repressive dictatorship in the country in the late 1960s.
Greek trade unions, leftist and anarchist parties have called for protests to denounce “imperialist” US involvement in wars in the Middle East.