- Title: Brussels under tight security for NATO summit, Trump visit
- Date: 24th May 2017
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (MAY 24, 2017) (REUTERS) SIGN READING (English & French): "Brussels 25 May 2017 - NATO", ROMANIAN FLAG BEING RAISED VARIOUS OF NEW NATO HEADQUARTERS AND MEMBER STATE FLAGS BEHIND SECURITY FENCE TWO SOLDIERS SALUTING BRITISH AND AMERICAN FLAGS FLYING NATO MEMBER STATE FLAGS FLYING BEHIND SECURITY FENCE POLICE VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ROYAL PALACE OF BRUSSELS POLICE VAN BELGIAN FLAG ROYAL PALACE VIEWED THROUGH TREES PEOPLE WALKING IN PARK (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN WORKER, IWEIN BEIRENS, SAYING: "I think it's important for Europe to be more connected, to try to evolve together. For example we have the NATO, but I'm more in favour for a kind of European co-operation concerning military operations." (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIUM RESIDENT ORIGINALLY FROM MARYLAND, U.S., TITILAYO OBIRI, SAYING: "I think it's great for Belgium [that it's hosting the NATO meeting this week]. I think especially after what happened, you know, the attacks last year, two years ago, it's nice to bring leaders here to show Brussels, Belgium, it's a good country, things are going on here." PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH PARK (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIAN WORKER, DIDIER MEERT, SAYING: "No, he [United States president Donald Trump] is not welcome, because he doesn't give me a good impression. To me, he doesn't have the capacity to be president of the United States. I don't appreciate it [his coming to Brussels] at all." VARIOUS OF CARS DRIVING ALONG MAJOR ROAD POLICE VANS PARKED (SOUNDBITE) (French) BELGIAN WORKER, DIDIER MEERT, SAYING: "This [the NATO meeting and leaders coming] affects economic activity, people's lives, because people have to get themselves to work, go to school, all will be affected these few days, so yes, this poses a problem. It's a bit excessive I find." EUROPEAN COUNCIL JUSTUS LIPSUS BUILDING WITH MILITARY VEHICLE IN FRONT EUROPEAN FLAGS VARIOUS OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL BUILDINGS AND MILITARY VEHICLES EUROPEAN COUNCIL BUILDINGS
- Embargoed: 7th June 2017 10:26
- Keywords: U.S. Trump security NATO
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016I76SEF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Brussels is preparing to host a NATO meeting on Thursday (May 25) and to welcome United States president Donald Trump to the city as part of his first overseas visit, with security heightened around the city and residents expressing mixed views about their visitor.
The meeting is choreographed to impress a U.S. president who called the Western alliance "obsolete."
Trump, a New Yorker, is expected to unveil a memorial to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, placed at the entrance to the new NATO building that has been almost two decades in the making at a cost of 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion).
NATO officials hope the steel wreckage from one of the Twin Towers will remind Trump that the only time the alliance has activated its collective defense clause was following the attacks on New York and Washington, a decision that also sent NATO into Afghanistan to fight the militants behind them.
Trump and his entourage will arrive in Brussels Wednesday afternoon (May 24), and his visit will see him meet the Belgian King and Queen, EU leaders, and his NATO ally counterparts. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None