Merkel-Macron unsuccessful

That both German Chancellor Angela Merkel and, earlier, French President Emanuelle Macron would air their differences with President Trump over trade, NATO and the Iran deal was only to be expected. There was a show of warmth and friendship despite the tensions between the two allies when Merkel came calling after Macron. With Trump poised to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium soon that will impact European exports, Merkel said that the decision was in Trump's hands on whether to grant exemptions to the European Union nations. Her quick trip came the same week as a three-day state visit by Macron, who, like the German Chancellor, pressed Trump on trade and urged him to keep the United States in a multi-national nuclear deal with Iran. Not surprisingly, neither leader could make significant progress in convincing Trump on either issue. After their last White House meeting drew attention when the two leaders did not shake hands in the Oval Office, Trump made a point of doing just that, twice, while congratulating the German chancellor on her recent election win. They even exchanged kisses on the cheek. Merkel acknowledged that it took a while to form a government after heavy election losses to the far-right, but admitted that it was important for her to make her first trip to Washington since establishing her new administration. The cautious Merkel has not established a particularly strong personal rapport with "the brash Trump" and the mood of her one-day working visit contrasted sharply with the tactile "bromance" between Trump and Macron. Chemistry aside, Merkel was careful to praise Trump's progress on North Korea while addressing some of his concerns point by point on defence spending, which she said Berlin was increasing, and German cars, many of which she noted were produced in the United States. She did try to make a strong pitch for Trump to abide by the Iran nuclear deal but that, it seemed, did not unfold with much success. She preferred to stick to her earlier stand that it was a first step that had helped reduce nuclear activities and would allow better monitoring, but she added: "We Germans think it's not enough to really ensure Iran takes on a role founded in reliability, so more is necessary." Earlier, Macron, who had visited Berlin before flying to Washington, had clarified the European position on the Iran nuclear deal ahead of Merkel's visit. Unhesitatingly, he had called on the United States to not abandon the Iran deal as Western envoys said Britain, France and Germany were nearing an agreement upon a package that they hoped could persuade Trump to save the pact. Trump will now decide by May 12 whether to revive the US sanctions on Iran. Doing so would be a serious blow to the nuclear deal, which many Western countries see as essential for stopping Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.