"/>

国产精品99一区二区三_免费中文日韩_国产在线精品一区二区_日本成人手机在线

U.S. ambassador to Germany criticized for undiplomatic media comments

Source: Xinhua    2018-06-06 17:58:39

BERLIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Richard Grenell, the new U.S. ambassador to Germany, was criticized sharply on Monday for breaking diplomatic protocol in an interview with the right-wing online portal Breitbart.

The German government has demanded that Washington formally clarify how Grenell's comments are to be interpreted, a Foreign Office spokesperson told the press.

In the interview published Sunday, the 51-year-old former communications consultant vowed to "support other conservatives throughout Europe".

He also said the election of U.S. President Donald Trump had "empowered" citizens to rise up against undemocratic political elites on the continent and chastised Germany for failing to meet NATO spending goals in spite of its national wealth.

Grenell, formally appointed as U.S. ambassador by Trump only in May, has already caused eyebrows to be raised repeatedly in his host country by publicly interfering in domestic politics.

Earlier, he had asked German companies to "wind down their operations immediately" in Iran after Washington decided to withdraw from the nuclear agreement signed by the Middle Eastern nation, China, Russia, Germany, France, Britain and the United States in 2015, a move that has been widely condemned.

Several German policymakers said on Monday that Grenell's latest comments had crossed the red line and called for Berlin to insist on his replacement by a more qualified candidate.

European citizens will not allow themselves to be told by a vassal of Trump how they should cast their votes. A U.S. ambassador who interferes in democratic debates to this extent is not suited to his job, Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel, a Social Democratic Party member of Parliament, said in a tweet.

Martin Schulz, former leader of the party and head of the European Parliament, said it was the duty of ambassadors to represent their countries as a whole, rather than specific political movements. Schulz likened Grenell's behavior to that of a "right-wing extreme colonial officer".

Another deputy leader of the parliamentary faction of the party, Ralf Stegner, also expressed astonishment at Grenell's lack of tact.

Drawing attention to the deterioration of relations between Berlin and Washington over several areas, Stegner said Trump's "anti-European views" were already "bad enough" without the U.S. ambassador adding fuel to the fire.

Speaking to Die Welt daily, Elmar Brok, a senior Christian Democratic Union politician who is also a member of the European Parliament and foreign policy expert, warned that Grenell's political intervention could backfire.

He said many of the European parties the ambassador had sympathized with favored closer relations with Russia.

Even if Grenell's attempts proved futile, Sevim Dagdelen, leader of the Left Party's parliamentary faction, said Grenell had "outed himself" in the Breitbart interview as a "regime-change officer installed by the president".

Dagdelen urged German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to summon Grenell and push back against his political meddling.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said Grenell was scheduled to have his inaugural meeting at the department on Wednesday and would have an opportunity to clarify his statements.

Editor: Yamei
Related News
Xinhuanet

U.S. ambassador to Germany criticized for undiplomatic media comments

Source: Xinhua 2018-06-06 17:58:39

BERLIN, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Richard Grenell, the new U.S. ambassador to Germany, was criticized sharply on Monday for breaking diplomatic protocol in an interview with the right-wing online portal Breitbart.

The German government has demanded that Washington formally clarify how Grenell's comments are to be interpreted, a Foreign Office spokesperson told the press.

In the interview published Sunday, the 51-year-old former communications consultant vowed to "support other conservatives throughout Europe".

He also said the election of U.S. President Donald Trump had "empowered" citizens to rise up against undemocratic political elites on the continent and chastised Germany for failing to meet NATO spending goals in spite of its national wealth.

Grenell, formally appointed as U.S. ambassador by Trump only in May, has already caused eyebrows to be raised repeatedly in his host country by publicly interfering in domestic politics.

Earlier, he had asked German companies to "wind down their operations immediately" in Iran after Washington decided to withdraw from the nuclear agreement signed by the Middle Eastern nation, China, Russia, Germany, France, Britain and the United States in 2015, a move that has been widely condemned.

Several German policymakers said on Monday that Grenell's latest comments had crossed the red line and called for Berlin to insist on his replacement by a more qualified candidate.

European citizens will not allow themselves to be told by a vassal of Trump how they should cast their votes. A U.S. ambassador who interferes in democratic debates to this extent is not suited to his job, Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel, a Social Democratic Party member of Parliament, said in a tweet.

Martin Schulz, former leader of the party and head of the European Parliament, said it was the duty of ambassadors to represent their countries as a whole, rather than specific political movements. Schulz likened Grenell's behavior to that of a "right-wing extreme colonial officer".

Another deputy leader of the parliamentary faction of the party, Ralf Stegner, also expressed astonishment at Grenell's lack of tact.

Drawing attention to the deterioration of relations between Berlin and Washington over several areas, Stegner said Trump's "anti-European views" were already "bad enough" without the U.S. ambassador adding fuel to the fire.

Speaking to Die Welt daily, Elmar Brok, a senior Christian Democratic Union politician who is also a member of the European Parliament and foreign policy expert, warned that Grenell's political intervention could backfire.

He said many of the European parties the ambassador had sympathized with favored closer relations with Russia.

Even if Grenell's attempts proved futile, Sevim Dagdelen, leader of the Left Party's parliamentary faction, said Grenell had "outed himself" in the Breitbart interview as a "regime-change officer installed by the president".

Dagdelen urged German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to summon Grenell and push back against his political meddling.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said Grenell was scheduled to have his inaugural meeting at the department on Wednesday and would have an opportunity to clarify his statements.

[Editor: huaxia]
010020070750000000000000011103261372349361
主站蜘蛛池模板: 碌曲县| 牡丹江市| 惠东县| 宁武县| 云安县| 灵宝市| 榆社县| 共和县| 浮山县| 玉溪市| 工布江达县| 松原市| 浙江省| 那曲县| 顺义区| 峨眉山市| 吕梁市| 宜昌市| 株洲县| 阿拉善盟| 新邵县| 商丘市| 仲巴县| 砚山县| 老河口市| 蕲春县| 望城县| 青田县| 民和| 鸡泽县| 南涧| 台江县| 南康市| 岱山县| 靖安县| 海原县| 汝南县| 资兴市| 曲水县| 盐城市| 洪江市|