MUNICH (AP) – President Barack Obama is aiming to show unity with Western allies on global challenges during an overnight trip to Germany, especially Chancellor Angela Merkel amid enduring anti-Americanism in her country over U.S. spying programs.
Obama and Merkel plan to open his visit with a public display of friendliness, delivering remarks about the U.S.-German alliance before taking a walk through the picturesque alpine village of Kruen to sample the Bavarian food and sights. Then the two plan to meet privately at the nearby site of the two-day summit of the Group of Seven leading industrial nations to coordinate their agenda before joining the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan.
A response to Russia on the heels of violent clashes in eastern Ukraine is expected to dominate talks at the G-7 meeting at the Schloss Elmau resort, a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin was ousted for his aggressive moves on the former Soviet state and Merkel took over as chairwoman of the group. Also high on the agenda are the global economy, terrorism and trade as Obama is negotiating separate pacts across the Pacific and Atlantic.
Obama is closer to Merkel than most heads of state, although their relationship has been tested in the past couple of years particularly after it emerged that the National Security Agency had tapped Merkel’s cell phone. The revelation was particularly chilling in Germany, with its oppressive history of secret government surveillance.
The spying controversy has grown in recent weeks amid reports that Germany’s own Federal Intelligence Agency, better known by its German acronym BND, may have helped the U.S. spy on European companies and officials as long ago as 2008. Merkel’s chief of staff oversees the agency, and the opposition Social Democrats – who are struggling in opinion polls – have used it to put her office under pressure.