WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defense James Mattis reassured NATO allies on Monday that Washington had an “unshakeable commitment” to the military alliance, despite President Donald Trump previously deriding the organization as “obsolete.”On his first full day in office Mattis spoke by phone with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his British and Canadian counterparts. Mattis “emphasized the United States’ unshakeable commitment to NATO” in his call with British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said in a statement. In his call with Stoltenberg, Mattis—who had previously served in a senior NATO post— discussed “the key role NATO plays in transatlantic security.”Mattis “wanted to place the call on his first full day in office to reinforce the importance he places on the alliance,” the statement read. “Number two, the countries aren’t paying what they’re supposed to pay.”Trump said in his inaugural address Friday that the United States had “subsidized the armies of other countries,” highlighting a common cause of friction in the 28-nation alliance. In response to Trump’s remarks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Europe had to take responsibility for itself.

Source: Manila Times January 24, 2017 08:48 UTC