The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Merkel

  • Merkel to host Obama during former U.S. President’s trip to Germany

    Former U.S. President, Barack Obama, is to visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a leader he has commended as one of his “favourite partners’’ during his time in office.

    The afternoon meeting of the close allies in Berlin would not be open to the press.

    However, high on the agenda are thought to be Trans-Atlantic ties, which have come under strain since President Donald Trump took office over two years ago.

    As German Chancellor, Merkel has worked with three U.S. presidents and enjoyed, especially close relationship with Obama.

    His last international trip as president was to Germany in November 2016.

    Read Also: Obama debuts on BillBoard Hot R&B Songs Chart

    He returned in 2017, when he told a huge Berlin crowd that Merkel had done “outstanding work, not just here in Germany, but around the world’’.

    Obama arrived on his latest trip to Germany on Thursday, addressing an audience of 14,000 in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena to say that he was “confident and cautiously optimistic’’ that the U.S. would soon be a world leader again on climate change.

    He expressed frustration with current U.S. policies in the area but noted that the state of California, for example, was implementing all the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

  • Merkel extracts rule of law promise from Buhari

    LESS than one week after President Muhammadu Buhari controversially declared before legal experts in Abuja that the rule of law must be subordinated to national security, he gave a promise to visiting German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, that he would in fact respect the rule of law. In a statement issued by one of his spokesmen, Garba Shehu, the president hinged the preservation of societal unity and harmony upon the rule of law. The president, according to the statement, further suggested that the rule of law contained all the relevant mechanisms for conflict resolution. Hearing the president speak that way, his audience might be tempted to think he was walking back on his earlier controversial statement.

    But given his attitude since he made that declaration before members of the Nigerian Bar Association at their annual meeting, there is nothing to indicate that the president’s opinion of the rule of law has changed either superficially or fundamentally between when he spoke at the NBA meeting and when he received the German chancellor. The attitude of the Buhari presidency, as embodied in the president’s own statement and his Justice minister’s July declaration that the rule of law could not be applied at certain moments, is that the executive branch had the prerogative to determine when the rule of law should be constrained and when it should not.

    If indeed the president was walking back on his controversial assault on the rule of law, he would have long since taken steps to remedy the instances when he wilfully and whimsically subordinated the rule of law to his government’s uncertain and unreliable definition of national security. Two of these instances are his government’s disobedience of court orders in the trials of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, a retired colonel, and Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife, both of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), aka Shiites. At bottom, the Buhari government has never felt comfortable with the rule of law. It is uncertain that his statement to the contrary before Mrs Merkel would be sufficient to prove that he had become born again on the matter of the rule of law. Worse, until he satisfies himself, he is unlikely to feel constrained by the law and the constitution to do what is morally and legally right.

  • We respect rule of law, agreements, Buhari tells Merkel

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja said his administration will always uphold the sanctity of the rule of law in governing the country.

    He also assured the visiting German Chancellor Angel Merkel that all agreements will be fully respected.

    President Buhari received the German Chancellor, who was accompanied by top government officials and a business delegation, at the Presidential Villa.

    In his remarks during a bilateral meeting, the President said unity and harmony in every society can only be preserved by observing the rule of law, and ensuring that agreements reached in good faith are followed through to the mutual benefit of countries.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also told Chancellor Merkel and members of her delegation that the rule of law embodies all the rightful mechanisms for conflict resolution, both within the country, and in dealing with all foreign partners.

    He assured that his administration remains focused on delivering a peaceful, economically viable and politically stable polity to all Nigerians.

    The President said Nigeria remained grateful to the German government for the fair treatment of migrants.

    He said Nigeria looks forward to improving its trade figures with Germany, which had taken strong interest in investing in the country and supporting the government in providing effective services in security, education and creation of jobs.

    Read Also: Buhari,  Angela Merkel meet in Aso Rock

    The President said his administration instituted reforms in the economy to make it more internationally attractive and business friendly for investors, noting that infrastructure development had been a priority, especially in power supply, road and rail constructions.

    The economy, he said, was already responding to the diversification reforms and the stimulus of the government as growth is now largely driven by the non-oil sector.

    The President said Nigeria was politically stable, urging German investors to take advantage of the friendly climate.

    “I enjoin you to invest in Nigeria because this is the best time to do so,’’ he added.

    President Buhari noted that the successful political transitions since 1999 were clear indications of the country’s stability and preparedness to welcome more investments that will bolster the economy.

    In her remarks at the meeting, Chancellor Merkel said Germany is prepared to further strengthen bilateral and business relations with Nigeria, which, according to her, controls 60 per cent of ECOWAS economy.

    She said the population growth and opportunities in the economy can always be explored to improve employment situation in the country.

    Chancellor Merkel said the three Memoranda of Understanding signed during the visit represent a starting point for a healthier and deeper partnership with Nigeria in areas of security, trade, immigration and education.

    The Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Volkswagen of South Africa for the manufacturing of Volkswagen vehicles in Nigeria, while Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Petkus Technologies GMBH for the supply of seed and grain processing machines.

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with German African Business Association on fostering trade and investment.

  • Photos/Video: Buhari, Angela Merkel meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with the German Chancellor, Ms Angela Merkel at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Merkel’s visit to Nigeria is part of her visits to some African countries.

  • Buhari, Angela Merkel meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with the German Chancellor, Ms Angela Merkel at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
    Merkel’s visit to Nigeria is part of her visits to some African countries.
    The meeting started in the President’s office shortly after Merkel arrived the forecourt of the State House, Abuja around 10.02am.
    She was received on arrival by President Buhari and top government officials.
    She came to Nigeria with a business delegation towards exploring investment opportunities in Nigeria.
    The issue of security challenges particularly in the North Eastern part of Nigeria, among other issues, are expected to be discussed at the meeting.
    Merkel’s visit came about 48 hours after the British Prime Minister, Theresa May’s visit to the State House, Abuja on Wednesday.
    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • Buhari greets Merkel, Putin on re-election

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin on their re-election.

    A statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina said congratulatory letters were sent to the German leader and Russian leader.

    To the German leader, the President said he was “most delighted to learn of the successful conclusion of the inter-party negotiations to form a new government after the last election in Germany.”

    Buhari told Chancellor Merkel that her victory “is a testimony of your hard-work, competence and trust of the German people, qualities, which are much admired in many parts of the world, especially here in Africa”.

    Buhari wished his German counterpart and her new cabinet a successful new term of office.

    In a separate letter, the President said Putin’s success for the fourth time in the election is a clear testimony of the confidence Russians have in his leadership.

    Buhari urged his Russian counterpart to see the victory as a base to continue to promote international peace and stability.

     

     

  • Merkel pleads for migrants

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday said that all EU countries should help to accommodate the human tide of Arabs, Asians and Africans seeking refuge from war and poverty.

    French President Francois Hollande announced…

  • ‘U.S bugged Merkel’s phone since 2002’

    ‘U.S bugged Merkel’s phone since 2002’

    The United States has been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone since 2002, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazine.

    The German publication claimed to have seen secret documents from the National Security Agency which show Mrs. Merkel’s number on a list dating from 2002 – before she became chancellor.

    BBC reports that her number was still on a surveillance list in 2013.

    Meanwhile Washington has seen a protest against the NSA’s spying programme.

    Several thousand protesters marched to the U.S Capitol to demand a limit to the surveillance. Some of them held banners in support of the fugitive former contractor Edward Snowden, who revealed the extent of the NSA’s activities.

    The nature of the monitoring of Mrs. Merkel’s mobile phone is not clear from the files, Der Spiegel says.

    For example, it is possible that the chancellor’s conversations were recorded, or that her contacts were simply assessed.

    Germany is sending its top intelligence chiefs to Washington in the coming week to “push forward” an investigation into the spying allegations, which have caused outrage in Germany.

    On Friday, Germany and France said they want the U.S to sign a no-spy deal by the end of the year.

    As well as the bugging of Mrs. Merkel’s phone, there are claims the NSA has monitored millions of telephone calls made by German and French citizens.

     

  • Merkel triumph in German election

    Merkel triumph in German election

    Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative party has won Germany’s election, but finished just short of an absolute majority, official results show.

    Mrs. Merkel urged her party to celebrate “a super result” as she looked set for a historic third term.

    Her conservative bloc took about 41.5 per cent of the vote – but her liberal partners failed to make it into parliament, BBC reports.

    It is thought she is likely to seek a grand coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) who won 26 per cent.

    The results showed that the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) won only 4.8 per cent, which report says is a disaster for the junior coalition partner, leaving it with no national representation in parliament for the first time in Germany’s post-war history.

    Party chairman Philipp Roesler called it “the bitterest, saddest hour of the Free Democratic Party.”

    The FDP was beaten by the Green Party (8.4 per cent) and the former communist Left Party (8.6 per cent). It almost finished behind the new Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD), which advocates withdrawal from the euro currency and took 4.7 per cent, just short of the parliamentary threshold.

    There was at one point speculation that Mrs. Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister CSU might even win enough seats for an absolute majority – the first in half a century.