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Trump: foreign policy will require allies to "pay their fair share"

WASHINGTON, April 27 (KUNA) -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested in a major foreign policy speech on Wednesday that if he becomes a president, he will want to work with Muslim allied nations and NATO if they "pay their fair share." "We should work together with any nation in the region that is threatened by the rise of radical Islam. But this has to be a two-way street. They must also be good to us," he told reporters.
They "must contribute toward their financial, political, and human costs," he added.
In terms of maintaining the spread of "radical Islam," Trump said it may require "military force" and described the endeavor as a "philosophical struggle" adding that their "days are numbered," referring to the so-called Islamic State (IS).
The US needs to be more "unpredictable" in terms of handling the matter, noting that IS will be "gone" under his presidency.
As for the NATO, Trump said he would like to hold a summit with its allied countries to, "take a fresh look at how we can adopt new strategies for tackling our common challenges." Wednesday's speech is the first of several scripted foreign policy speeches Trump is expected to give over the next several weeks. Analysts have said that this is a clear effort to make himself appear more presidential.
"Our friends are beginning to think they can't depend on us," he said and argued against the Iran nuclear agreement, saying that Tehran "ignored its terms." As a result of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West, Israel has been "snubbed and criticized by an administration that lacks moral clarity," he said.
"Our rivals no longer respect us," Trump continued. "The lists of humiliations go on and on." He criticized President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and accused their foreign policy as being one of "weakness, confusion and disarray - a mess.
"We've made the Middle East more unstable and chaotic than ever before," said Trump adding the he would focus on "creating stability in the world." "War and aggression will not be my first instinct. You cannot have a foreign policy without diplomacy. A superpower understands that caution and restraint are really truly signs of strength," said Trump.
On Russia and China, he desires to "live peacefully and in friendship," despite "serious differences." "We should seek common ground based on shared interests," he said. (end) ak.msa