US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged European Union members not to “lose their head” or be “revengeful” after Britain’s shock referendum decision to leave 28-nation bloc.
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He then travels to London to meet British Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Minister Philip Hammond.
Visiting Britain in April, President Barack Obama noted ongoing U.S. -EU trade negotiations and warned Britons that a vote to “leave” could put them at the back of the line for similar deals.
Scrambling to adjust to the now uncertain Western geopolitical map, USA officials say they have no solution themselves to the political crisis in London and Brussels.
Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on September 26, 2014.
Stoltenberg said Tuesday it is too early to grasp all the consequences of the British decision, but that government officials in London have assured him their country’s allegiance to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is unwavering.
US Secretary of State John Kerry talks during a ministerial meeting regarding the Islamic State group in Rome, Italy, February 2, 2016. “References to the U.S. -UK “Special Relationship” will be increasingly rare and hollow, as the United States turns to partner with other countries in other regions”.
He said: “The referendum decision reflected the will of the British people and we respect that”.
Mr. Kerry said it is “absolutely essential” in the period ahead that “people don’t start ginning up scatterbrained or revengeful” stances following Britain’s vote. He said the vote left Britain “undiminished” as a global force.
In Brussels on Tuesday, Cameron must run the gauntlet of his fellow leaders who just four months ago backed a deal meant to keep Britain in the European Union, and will now be talking to a lame-duck leader who failed to convince his own country to stay. The US administration fears the UK’s Brexit vote would take its toll on the world economic growth and destabilize financial markets.
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.
Mogherini had been expected to meet Kerry in Rome on Sunday, but she was busy dealing with the fallout of the dramatic vote, which stunned European and world leaders.
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Mr Hammond, standing beside Mr Kerry at the Foreign Office, said he understood the unhappiness within the European Union at what had happened.
