LONDON: Outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that President-elect Donald Trump had been wrong to criticize “courageous” German leader Angela Merkel, calling his remarks “inappropriate.”
Stopping over in London on the closing stages of his final diplomatic tour just four days before Trump is due to take office, Kerry gave an interview to CNN International.
Asked about the furor surrounding an interview by Trump with Britain’s The Times and Germany’s Bild, Kerry defended the European Union, Merkel and Germany’s refugee policy.
“I thought, frankly, it was inappropriate for a president-elect of the United States to be stepping in to the politics of other countries in a quite direct manner,” Kerry told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
“He’ll have to speak for that,” Kerry warned. “As of Friday he’s responsible for that relationship.
“But I think we have to be very careful about suggesting that one of the strongest leaders in Europe — and one of the most important in respect of where we are heading — made one mistake or another.”
In his interview, Trump declared NATO “obsolete,” praised Britain’s decision to quit the European Union and dubbed Merkel’s generous policy toward refugees “catastrophic.”
Kerry said: “I think she was extremely courageous and I don’t think it amounts to that characterization at all.”
Kerry warned that Europe’s enemies, including Russia, are trying to divide the West and recalled that President Barack Obama’s administration had strongly opposed Brexit.
While in London, Kerry was to have a private farewell dinner with Britain’s top diplomat Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and give farewell interviews to media.
On Tuesday, he is due to fly to the World Economic Forum in Davos for a final set of discussions with members of the global business and political elite.
The conference reaffirmed that only a two-state solution could resolve the conflict and warned against unilateral steps by either side that could prejudge negotiations.
Trump has said resolving the conflict will be a priority of his administration and suggested that his son-in-law Jared Kushner could help broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Kerry, who tried for nine months to forge an agreement between the two sides, welcomed Trump’s efforts but pushed back at a suggestion that the Obama administration was to blame for the failure to clinch a deal.
“No, no, the leaders of the two countries involved ... have failed to come to the table to reach an agreement. You can lead a horse to water, you can’t make it drink, and we did a lot of leading to a lot of water.”
Stopping over in London on the closing stages of his final diplomatic tour just four days before Trump is due to take office, Kerry gave an interview to CNN International.
Asked about the furor surrounding an interview by Trump with Britain’s The Times and Germany’s Bild, Kerry defended the European Union, Merkel and Germany’s refugee policy.
“I thought, frankly, it was inappropriate for a president-elect of the United States to be stepping in to the politics of other countries in a quite direct manner,” Kerry told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
“He’ll have to speak for that,” Kerry warned. “As of Friday he’s responsible for that relationship.
“But I think we have to be very careful about suggesting that one of the strongest leaders in Europe — and one of the most important in respect of where we are heading — made one mistake or another.”
In his interview, Trump declared NATO “obsolete,” praised Britain’s decision to quit the European Union and dubbed Merkel’s generous policy toward refugees “catastrophic.”
Kerry said: “I think she was extremely courageous and I don’t think it amounts to that characterization at all.”
Kerry warned that Europe’s enemies, including Russia, are trying to divide the West and recalled that President Barack Obama’s administration had strongly opposed Brexit.
While in London, Kerry was to have a private farewell dinner with Britain’s top diplomat Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and give farewell interviews to media.
On Tuesday, he is due to fly to the World Economic Forum in Davos for a final set of discussions with members of the global business and political elite.
The conference reaffirmed that only a two-state solution could resolve the conflict and warned against unilateral steps by either side that could prejudge negotiations.
Trump has said resolving the conflict will be a priority of his administration and suggested that his son-in-law Jared Kushner could help broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Kerry, who tried for nine months to forge an agreement between the two sides, welcomed Trump’s efforts but pushed back at a suggestion that the Obama administration was to blame for the failure to clinch a deal.
“No, no, the leaders of the two countries involved ... have failed to come to the table to reach an agreement. You can lead a horse to water, you can’t make it drink, and we did a lot of leading to a lot of water.”
