The US Secretary of State John Kerry said it is important no one loses their heads or turns vengeful after last week’s Brexit vote.
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Mr. Kerry said the USA wants to see a “strong EU” and that it will act to maintain its “special relationship” with the U.K. He will travel to London to meet with U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond later Monday.
Obama himself, on a visit to London last month, warned British voters that their nation would go “to the back of the queue” for a USA trade deal if they voted “out”.
Kerry was speaking before heading to London to meet outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Minister Philip Hammond.
In Brussels, he will meet the 28-nation bloc’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
The Brexit vote “will have massive consequences on the U.K. role in the world, and that includes ties with the United States, with China, Japan, you name it”, he said.
“Ever since World War Two, we have been working, all of us together, to reach a situation to make countries stronger and be able to deliver the benefits of a good life to our people”, Kerry said.
The White House was caught off guard by the “Leave” vote, as was the British government.
Mr. Kerry said ahead of the meeting that the British vote wouldn’t change either the U.K.’s engagement with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or the European Union’s work with the alliance.
He also emphasised that the United States will “maintain its special relationship with Great Britain”. “That will not change one iota as a outcome of the vote that has taken place”.
But Kerry said he had no doubt that Europe would pull together and reassure the markets, noting that even without Britain the European Union single market counts 455 million consumers.
Mogherini said the European Union is in “a hard time”.
The U.S. has reportedly offered to be mediator between United Kingdom and EU’s legal proceedings, following Britain’s exit from the 60-year-old bloc.
Hammond said he could understand the anger on the other side of the English channel, where there are fears that Britain leaving the European Union could fuel breakaway movements in other countries.
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“I personally will regret that Britain is not going to be at that table when there is a US-EU dialogue”.
