European leaders to meet Obama in Germany on Monday
US president to discuss 'numerous questions on international politics' with French, German, British and Italian counterparts
PARIS — The leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Italy will hold an “informal meeting” with US President Barack Obama in the German city of Hanover on Monday, the French presidency said.
The meeting will see the US leader meeting French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the British and Italian prime ministers, David Cameron and Matteo Renzi, the statement said.
Obama is to arrive in Hanover on Sunday to attend the city’s industrial technology fair on the third and final leg of a three-nation trip that is also taking him to Saudi Arabia and Britain.
German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz said Merkel had invited her counterparts to discuss “numerous questions on international politics.”
“There is no precise agenda yet,” she said, indicating that Syria, Libya and the migrant crisis could be up for discussion.
Merkel said last month that she hoped to advance negotiations with the United States on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which were started in 2013.
A spokeswoman for Cameron said she “would expect” the leaders to discuss the migrant crisis, the fight against the Islamic State group and the situations in Libya and Ukraine.
The meeting will take place at Hanover’s imposing Herrenhausen Castle, famous for its baroque gardens.