"Obsolete" NATO needs to be readjusted or replaced - Trump

WASHINGTON, March 27 (KUNA) -- Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has lashed out at NATO for alleged failure to deal with terrorism, describing it as an obsolete organization that needs to be readjusted or replaced.
"NATO is obsolete, and it is extremely expensive to the United States, disproportionately so, and we should readjust NATO," Trump said in an ABC "This Week" interview Sunday.
"And it is going to have to be either readjusted to take care of terrorism, or we are going to have to set up a new coalition, a new group of countries to handle terrorism, because terrorism is out of control." Trump argued the 28-member organization, formed in 1949 to counter the then Soviet Union and nationalist militarism in Europe, should now focus more on terrorism.
"We have the threat of terrorism, and NATO does not discuss terrorism, NATO is not meant for terrorism. NATO does not have the right countries in it for terrorism." Trump also noted that the United States pays "a totally disproportionate share of NATO" compared to other countries.
"How come the countries near the Ukraine, surrounding the Ukraine, how come they are not opening up and they are not at least protesting (Russian actions)?" Trump asked.
"I never hear anything (about Ukraine) from anybody except the United States." Back to the terrorism issue, Trump warned that neither the United States nor Europe is safe from terrorism.
"I do not think America is a safe place for Americans," Trump said.
"I do not think that Europe is a safe place. ... Lots of the free world has become weak. When you look at Brussels, when you look at the way they have handled things from law enforcement standpoints, when you look at Paris, when you look at so many other places, no, it is not (safe)." The United States is "allowing thousands of people to come in here," Trump said. "Nobody knows where they are from. Nobody knows who they are." Asked about his remarks that Islam is at war with the United States, and that he would take actions against Muslim Americans, Trump said, "We are going to have to be very smart. We are going to have to be very rigid and very vigilant.
"And if we are not very, very strong and very, very smart, we have a big, big problem coming up. We have already had the problem," he said, referring to the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.
He stressed that Muslims in living in the United Sates have to report bad or suspicious acts or persons among their community. (end) rm.ibi