Free Republic

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Tuesday warned the US about the dangers of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “Recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel does not calm a conflict; rather, it fuels it even more,” Gabriel said. “It’s in everyone’s interest that this does not happen.” Despite widespread international opposition to the move, Trump is expected to recognize the city as Israel’s capital on Wednesday. A senior administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity told AFP news agency that the president would make the announcement during a speech slated for 1 p.m. local...

Free trade talks between the European Union and the United States have failed, Germany’s economy minister said Sunday, citing a lack of progress on any of the major sections of the long-running negotiations. Both Washington and Brussels have pushed for a deal by the end of the year, despite strong misgivings among some EU member states over the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Germany’s Vice Chancellor, compared the TTIP negotiations unfavorably with a free trade deal forged between the 28-nation EU and Canada, which he said was fairer for both sides. “In my...

The German vice-Chancellor said on Saturday that Germany needs to support young Brits after the UK voted to leave the EU. European countries need to think about what they can offer young British people living in their countries, Sigmar Gabriel said, after the Brexit vote left many facing an uncertain future, Spiegel reports. Despite the UK voting by a narrow majority to leave the European Union, young people voted largely for the Remain camp. “They knew better than the snobs in the British elite that this was about their future,” Gabriel said at meeting of his Social Democratic Party (SPD)...

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has criticized leading U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a right-wing populist whose political views pose a threat to peace and prosperity. The comments by Gabriel, economy minister and leader of the Social Democrats, are the clearest sign yet that ruling politicians in Europe are increasingly worried about the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections. "Whether Donald Trump, Marine le Pen or Geert Wilders - all these right-wing populists are not only a threat to peace and social cohesion, but also to economic development," Gabriel told Welt am Sonntag newspaper in an interview published...

Germany believes Iran should rethink its stance on Israel as last week’s nuclear deal means it must “bear new responsibilities, at home and abroad”, Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday during his visit to the Islamic republic. […] “With the nuclear agreement and the economic recovery that will surely come after it, Iran will also bear new responsibilities, at home and abroad,” he told delegates at a conference in the capital. “You must understand that for us Germans, the security of the state of Israel is also of great importance. I understand how difficult the debate is, and we...

Germany has decided to stop arms exports to Saudi Arabia because of “instability in the region,” German daily Bild reported on Sunday. Weapons orders from Saudi Arabia have either been “rejected, pure and simple,” or deferred for further consideration, the newspaper said, adding that the information has not been officially confirmed. The decision was taken on Wednesday by the national security council, a government body that includes Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and seven other ministers, it said. …

So much for momentum on climate change. Reality bites. Without nuclear power, Japans emissions have hit a new record high. At the same time, even with 17% of its energy from Nuclear power, and with 23,000 wind turbines, Germany stands no chance of reaching its emissions targets. The rich, technologically advanced nation that has spent more than any other on green energy admits they’ve failed. Those who want to stop producing CO2 have billions of dollars to spend on advertising and pointless windmills, but in the end, chemistry and physics can’t be bought. If renewables could provide cheap reliable power,...

Google cannot be broken up into smaller companies without new EU legislation, the European Commission said today (20 May), after detailing two potential new antitrust investigations into the internet giant. Competition Commissioner Joaquín Almunia was responding to comments made earlier this week by German’s Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who said Google may have such a dominant market position that a break-up had to be “seriously considered.” Existing competition law was not powerful enough to split up the business, Almunia said. The California-based company may yet face a separate antitrust investigation to the one ongoing since November 2012. Open Internet Project,...

LONDON — Germany was expected to reject a request by Saudi Arabia for hundreds of main battle tanks. A leading German newspaper said the Berlin government would not approve a Saudi request for up to 800 Leopard-2A7 MBTs. The newspaper, Bild, said the deal was opposed by leading members of the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, particularly Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel. “Without agreement from the economy minister, the deal has no chance,” Bild said. If correct, the newspaper report could signal the end of Berlin’s plans to become a leading military supplier to the Arab world. Many in parliament...