To recap... Obama in France: Gitmo & 'hell of a lot' more. -- Obama in Germany: No "grand designs"

[jefferson_dem]

U.S. France: Gitmo & 'hell of a lot' more
by Mark Silva



In the modern annals of Franco-American relations, this probably is progress:

Those detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba?

France may take one.

"I believe democracy makes it incumbent upon heads of state to speak the truth and to live up to what they say,'' French President Nicolas Sarkozy said today in a brief press conference with President Barack Obama - with the French leader managing to take a shot at the American saga of Guantanamo while offering help in fixing it.



"I am a longstanding friend of the United States,'' Sarkozy said. "But Guantanamo was not in keeping with U.S. values-- at least with my perception of what American values were and are. And I was proud and happy that the United States should have taken the decision that we were hoping for, which was to close down that base. We all were, here in Europe....

"You don't combat terrorists with terrorist methods,'' he said. "You combat them with the methods and the weapons of democracy.

"Having said that -- and I have said that -- if then the president of the United States says, 'I'm going to close down Guantanamo, but I need my allies to take -- in this particular instance, this one person -- into our prisons, because this is going to help me, the U.S. president, to shut down this base,' if we are consistent, then we say, yes.

"We can't condemn the United States to have this camp and then simply wash our hands of the whole business when they close it down,'' he said.

That's not all the two talked about today at Palais Rohan in Strasbourg, on the eve of a summit marking the 60th anniversary of NATO.

<SNIP>

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/04/us_france_gitmo_hell_of_a_lot.html

Obama: 'I don't come (w/) grand designs'
by Mark Silva



"Danke schoen,'' said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Danke schoen,'' said President Barack Obama, adding: "My German is not as good as Chancellor Merkel's...''

"What a surprise, Mr. President!'' Merkel replied, in English. "My English also not...''

Yet the two appeared to get through a private meeting and public press conference together in Baden-Baden, Germany, today, another in a series of bilateral talks heading into a NATO summit in the French-German border region, in a fair amount of agreement of terms.



""In our bilateral talks, we concluded again that we have long term -- long years of friendly relations. And I do hope that we will be able to continue those in the years to come,'' said Merkel, in German, with the translation of an interpreter here, who had begun to repair German relations with the U.S. after her predecessor's differences with the Bush administration over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"I think there is, indeed, a broad array of issues that we need to contend with,'' Merkel said, standing alongside Obama. "The Federal Republic of Germany stands ready to give its contribution towards solving them.

" Over the last several days what we've been grappling with is an economic crisis that is unlike anything we've seen since the '30s,'' Obama said.

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Obama was asked by the German media about his "grand design'' for NATO.

" I don't come bearing grand designs,'' Obama said. "I'm here to listen, to share ideas and to jointly, as one of many NATO allies, to help shape our vision for the future.

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http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/04/obama_germany_nato.html

[bdamomma]

1. great pictures, Obama is getting around.

[Aloha Spirit]

2. I hope more countries accept detainees..

Human Rights Watch:

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/04/03/useu-help-close-guantanamo-accepting-some-detainees

"Human Rights Watch welcomed a statement today by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that France would accept an Algerian detainee from Guantanamo, but said that much more help from European governments is needed.

"If every EU nation were willing to resettle two or three detainees from Guantanamo, the hardest part of the problem would be solved," Mariner said.