Amid divisions with Macron, Trump to travel to Paris to discuss Syria, terrorism

REUTERS, 12th JULY, 2017- U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Paris on Wednesday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron where the two leaders will seek to work together on Syria and countering terrorism, while avoiding the thorny issues that have divided them.

Trump and Macron -- both political newcomers who scored upset victories in their presidential elections -- have taken very different positions in areas such as climate change and trade.
U.S. and French officials have said Trump’s visit to Paris will allow the leaders to focus on those places where their interests overlap, including resolving the conflict in Syria and combating global terrorism.

Macron invited Trump to France to celebrate July 14 Bastille Day festivities and to commemorate the 100 years since U.S. troops entered into World War One.

“It’s for France a unique opportunity to show French military power ... and that’s very important for Trump,” said Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, director of the Paris office of think-tank the German Marshall Fund.