The German chancellor says Europe will build a relationship on the basis of shared values with Donald Trump’s governmentGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the European Union’s approach to the United States will be to continue working on the basis of shared values and a desire for trans-Atlantic cooperation.“There will be areas where we are in agreement, such as the fight against terrorism, and there will be others where we do not agree. After the Turkey statement, we must now turn to Mediterranean,” she said, adding that the EU had learnt valuable lessons from the past two years.The EU’s main priorities for the deal, said Merkel, were to bring stability to Libya, and to tackle “human traffickers and the mafia-like structure” that exploits vulnerable people. “We must remember how many people have died in the Mediterranean, despite SOPHIA [the EU’s anti-human smuggling military operation in the Mediterranean].”She acknowledged however, that Libya is going through a “difficult situation,” and said that the EU will have work closely with neighbouring countries to make the agreement work. “Libya does not yet have the necessary stability so we will also have to work closely with Algeria and Egypt to bring about a government of national accord that is worthy of that name.” Ultimately however, she stressed that the agreement is designed to start a process that will lead to Libya being “capable of tackling migration itself.”Questioned by journalists on whether UK prime minister Theresa May is “too close” to the new US administration, Merkel said that she acknowledged that there has always been a somewhat special relationship between the UK and the US.“I was pleased to hear Theresa May say that she wants a strong Europe. It is up to us, as 27, to determine how strong, and how good Europe is at solving its problems.”

Source: Libya Today February 03, 2017 16:52 UTC