Obama in Europe to reassure allies
AFP
US President Barack Obama flew into Athens on Tuesday on his final foreign trip to Europe, seeking to calm the nerves of allies concerned by Donald Trumps shock presidential election victory, reports AFP.
With Europeans worried by Trumps downplaying of the importance of the NATO military alliance, Obama pointedly told Greek daily Kathimerini before his visit that Washington had to resist the urge of isolationism.
Our best chance for progress is to resist the urge to turn inward and instead reinvigorate our shared values and work together, Obama said.
Speaking to reporters on the eve of the trip, Obama cautioned his brash successor that he faces a reality check if he tries to enact some of his more controversial campaign promises.
This office has a way of waking you up, said the outgoing president.
And as Obama touched down in Athens, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said he was confident Trump would live up to US commitments to the alliance.
I am certain that he will be a president... who will live up to all the commitments of the United States in the alliance, because a strong NATO is important for Europe but its also important for the United States, Stoltenberg said.
The fourth president to travel to Greece, Obama will visit the Acropolis before delivering a much-awaited speech on the challenges of globalisation.
He will then hold talks with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Security was tight in central Athens, with thousands of police officers on the streets and traffic set to be disrupted for several hours.
On Wednesday, Obama travels to Germany, where he will speak with close ally Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the French and British leaders.
He concludes his trip with a stop in Peru for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, president-elect Trump was set for another meeting with running mate Mike Pence to discuss cabinet appointments amid reports of intense infighting over choice posts.
Trump appears torn between a campaign promise to shake up Washington and the need to build a cabinet with political experience and connections with Congress.
Possible candidates for secretary of state include hawkish former diplomat John Bolton and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, US media reported.
Retired General Michael Flynn is a possible national security advisor pick, while Republican Senator Jeff Sessions could be secretary of defence or attorney general, according to CNN.
Greek leaders are anxious for a new US pledge to help alleviate the countrys enormous public debt, a measure actively sought by the International Monetary Fund but opposed by leading European lender Germany.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said Obamas visit would contribute to promoting a fair and viable solution on the Greek debt.
Obama is also expected to address Europes challenge in accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees who have arrived on the continent fleeing conflict in the Middle East.
Athenians voiced mixed feelings about Obamas visit.
We live in the hope that it will bring something positive for Greece and the region, said Spyros, a 30-year-old civil servant.
Ekaterini Tsarmoutzi, a private employee, said Obama was nice as a person, but above all he is an American.
Many Greeks are suspicious of the United States after it helped install a repressive dictatorship in the country in the late 1960s.
Greek trade unions, leftist and anarchist parties have called for protests to denounce imperialist US involvement in wars in the Middle East.
Butcher Obama is not wanted, the Communist-affiliated PAME union said, as the left-leaning Efimerida ton Syntakton daily said Obamas drone attacks have already killed some 4,700 people.
Police have banned demonstrations in areas of the capital where Obama will hold his meetings.
The increased police measures also come after assailants threw a grenade at the French embassy in Athens last week, slightly wounding an officer on duty.
Several Athenians questioned the possible benefits of a visit by an outgoing president.
Hes just here for a stroll. Somebody else is taking over, and from a different political party at that, so there are no commitments binding (on his successor), said pensioner Costas Bousgos.
