European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom
U.S. and EU trade chiefs will hold a first meeting in Brussels on Monday to pursue closer transatlantic ties after U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to drop his threat of tariffs on EU cars.
European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will host United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer at the first political level meeting of a new working group, the Commission said on Wednesday.
The group, set up after a detente in July, is charged with finding ways to cut tariffs, boost U.S. liquefied natural gas exports and to reform the World Trade Organization. Trade advisers and officials held a first meeting last month.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Pakistan on Wednesday for a brief visit on his whistle-stop tour of the region, with the war in Afghanistan and the issue of militants once again set to dominate discussions with Pakistan.Pompeo is next due to visit India, the main stop of his South Asia tour, where he is expected to pile pressure on New Delhi over its purchases of Iranian oil and Russian missile systems in talks with senior Indian officials.In Pakistan, Pompeo will meet new premier Imran Khan and the army chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, against a backdrop of tense ties and U.S. military aid cuts over Islamabad's alleged reluctance to crack down on militants.Arif Alvi elected president of Pakistan: unofficial resultsRelations between uneasy allies United States and Pakistan have frayed in recent years, with Washington accusing Islamabad of turning a blind eye or helping Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network militants who stage attacks in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies doing so.A Reuters reporter saw Pompeo's plane land at Islamabad airport just before 1 p.m. (0800 GMT).Pakistan's new foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said he would "have exchanges" with Pompeo over Washington's cancellation of a $300-million disbursement for the Pakistani military.CEO of Pakistan's national airline steps down on order of top courtTaking a tougher line with an ally that U.S. President Donald Trump considers unreliable, the United States halted the disbursement of Coalition Support Funds due to Islamabad's perceived failure to take decisive action against Afghan Taliban militants operating from Pakistani soil.The United States has withheld $800 million this year, cuts Pakistan says are unwarranted as it incurs expenses in fighting militants who pose a danger to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.Pompeo is also expected to discuss Pakistan's possible plans to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ease currency pressures and avert an economic crisis.Pakistan disputes US claim that it has canceled aidIn July, Pompeo said there was "no rationale" for the IMF to give money to Pakistan that would then be used to pay off Chinese loans, comments that further rattled Islamabad.Pompeo and U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will meet their Indian counterparts in New Delhi on Thursday, and are expected to finalise defence pacts that could bring their militaries closer amid China's rising influence.The talks come as U.S. hostility rises towards India's traditional allies Iran and Russia, on which Washington has placed sanctions. Iran is a big oil supplier to India, and two-thirds of its military equipment is from Russia."They're part of the conversation, they're part of the relationship, they will certainly come up, but I don't think they will be the primary focus of what it is we're trying to accomplish here," Pompeo told U.S. pool reporters en route to Pakistan. US military to end $300 million aid to Pakistan
US Secretary of State Pompeo arrives in Pakistan; to meet new PM Khan
Trump agreed with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in July to refrain from imposing tariffs on EU cars while the two sides launched discussions to remove tariffs on non-auto industrial products.
But Malmstrom said last week that the easing of trade tensions between the two partners had not put to rest "profound disagreements" on trade policy.
She also said the European Union would be willing to reduce its car tariffs to zero if the United States did the same.
Trump rejected the idea as "not good enough", adding that EU consumers simply tended to buy European rather than American cars.
The U.S. wants to expand its presence in Greece by increasing the use of military bases and ports in the country, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said.“If you look at geography, and you look at current operations in Libya, and you look at current operations in Syria, you look at potential other operations in the eastern Mediterranean, the geography of Greece and the opportunities here are pretty significant,” Gen. Joseph Dunford was quoted as saying by the Military Times, a U.S.-based online magazine.Dunford was in the Greek capital Athens on Tuesday to meet Greek Chief of Defense, Adm. Evangelos Apostolakis.Turkish, Greek FMs open renovated consulate in IzmirAccording to the report, no specific bases have been identified but several options are being evaluated by the Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, head of U.S. European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander.“Those are discussions that Gen. Scap and others are having right now, as they look around the region in terms of where they want to put forces within the next five to 10 years,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed official.Dunford said that the U.S. will continue using Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey. The U.S. interest in Greek bases was not related to the U.S.-Turkey standoff, he added.Greek ships remain docked at ports after seamen extend strikeTurkey could start drilling in Eastern Mediterranean: FM
US seeks to expand its military presence in Greece