4 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES Wednesday19 February 2020
ants are of north African immigrant ori-
gin. Multipleterror attacks n recenti
yearshaveaddedtothosefears.
Typical of such concern is a recent
bookby François Pupponi, who was
mayor of Sarcelles near Paris for 20
years. InThe Emirates of the Republic:
How Islamists are Taking Control of the
Suburbs, he wrote that 100-200 Islam-
ists and young thugs are terrorising a
community of 60,000. “One of the reali-
ties of these suburbs is the irruption of
radicalIslam,”hewrote.
Islamists also have a strong presence
on social media. In what has become
known as the “Mila Affair”, a teenage
schoolgirl who casually criticised Mus-
lim men and their religion in an Insta-
gram exchange quickly became the tar-
getofdeaththreatsandinsults.
Controlling immigration, curbing
Islamistsandtacklingcrimearekeypol-
icies of Marine Le Pen and her far-right
Rassemblement National party, which
isthemainthreattoMrMacron.
governments to control language
courses for 80,000 pupils learning Ara-
bic, Turkish and other languages from
theircountriesoforigin.
Mr Macron was speaking to residents
in the Bourtzwiller district of Mulhouse
in eastern France in the first of a series
ofplannedwalkabouts.Hemadeapoint
of not visiting a large new mosque in
Mulhouse,acitywithbothalargeimmi-
grant population and many white sup-
portersofthefar-right.
Mr Macron as speaking against aw
backdrop of growing concern in France
about the influence of Islamist radicals
on troubled communities where crime
is rife and where many of the inhabit-
V I C TO R M A L L E T— PARIS
Emmanuel Macron has launched a
campaign againstwhat he calls Islamist
“separatism”, seeking to restore order
in sometimes violent French citysub-
urbs and court support from rightwing
voters before local elections in March.
The president said it was “unaccepta-
ble” for anyone to disobey the laws of
theFrenchrepublicinthenameofareli-
gionoraforeignpower.
“Therepublicmustkeepitspromises,
we must fight against discrimination,
we must put meritocracy everywhere,”
he said. “But on the other side we must
fight against separatism, because when
the republic does not keep its promises,
otherstrytoreplaceit.”
Mr Macron announced measures to
tighten controls on foreign financing of
mosques, to end the nomination by
Algeria, Morocco and Turkey of 300
imams a year for France, and withdraw
from this year permission for foreign
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
L AU R E N F E D O R— WASHINGTON
Michael Bloomberg will make his first
appearance in a televised Democratic
presidential debate today, giving voters
their first glimpse of how the New York
billionairewillfareagainstrivalsinclud-
ingBernieSandersandJoeBiden.
Mr Bloomberg, a former Republican,
qualified for the debate in Las Vegas
after a new national poll showed him in
second place, behind Mr Sanders, the
self-described democratic socialist who
is among thefrontrunners. Mr Sanders
and Mr Bloomberg will be joinedby Mr
Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts
senator Elizabeth Warren andMinne-
sotasenatorAmyKlobuchar.
Mr Bloomberg qualified for the
debate after a NPR/PBS NewsHour/
Marist poll released yesterday showed
him with 19 per cent of Democratic vot-
ers nationwide. He was behind only Mr
Sanders, who pulled in 31 per cent sup-
port. Mr Biden came in third with 15 per
centofthevote,MsWarrenwasat12per
cent, Ms Klobuchar had 9 per centand
MrButtigiegwasat8percent.
The debate comes just days before
Nevada’scaucuses.MrBloomberg,how-
ever,willnotbeontheballotthere.
The former New York City mayor
has sat out early voting states including
Iowa and New Hampshire — where
Mr Buttigieg nda Mr Sanders ame outc
on top, respectively — and instead
focused hisformidable financial fire-
power n “Super Tuesday”, March 3,o
when more than a dozen states, includ-
ing California and Texas,hold primaries
orcaucuses.
Mr Bloomberg will also be absent
from the ballot in South Carolina, where
aprimarywillbeheldonFebruary29.
Mr Bloomberg’s presence on today’s
debate stage will inject a new element
into an already crowded Democratic
field. The former mayor is likely to be
the focal point of attacks from many of
his Democratic rivals, who have regu-
larly berated him on the campaign trail
fortryingto“buy”thenomination.
Mr Bloomberg did not qualify for pre-
vious televised debates because the
Democratic National Committee had
rulesthatrequiredcandidatestoreceive
donations from a certain number of
individual donors; Mr Bloomberg has
said that he will not take outside dona-
tions and will fund his campaign com-
pletelyonhisown.
However, the DNC changed the rules
earlierthismonthtoallowcandidatesto
qualify if they achieved at least 10 per
cent support in at least four national
polls, in an apparent effort to allow Mr
Bloomberg to participate. The changes
attracted criticism from many Demo-
cratic candidates,who said that the pre-
vious rules had stymied the campaigns
ofcandidateswithsmallerwallets.
In Nevada, where caucuses will be
held on Saturday, the latest Las Vegas
Review-Journal poll showed Mr Sanders
on25percent,followedbyMrBiden(
per cent), Ms Warren (13 per cent) and
MrButtigiegon10percent.
White House race
Bloomberg to make debut in TV debates
National poll puts former
New York City mayor
second behind Sanders
G U Y C H A Z A N— BERLIN
Angela Merkel would happily serve out
her final term and retire on schedule,
sometimeintheautumnof2021.Foran
increasing number of people in her own
party,theendshouldcomealotsooner.
Ms Merkel’s Christian Democratic
Union is about to start the process of
selecting a new leader. As things stand,
the victor will then enter into an awk-
ward period of “cohabitation” with the
long-servingchancellor.
But many in Berlin believe Ms Merkel
should step aside so that the new CDU
chairman will not constantly be in her
shadow — and share the fate of outgoing
party leader Annegret Kramp-Karren-
bauer, who said last week she was
throwing in the towel after only 14
monthsinthejob.
“The Christian Democrats are
attempting the impossible,” said
Michael Spreng, a political consultant
andformerCDUadviser.
“They want a strong new leader, a
convincing candidate for chancellor,
and they also want Ms Merkel to remain
in office till the end of her term. But you
can’thaveallthree.”
At the root of the problem is the radi-
calexperimentusheredinbyMsMerkel
in 2018. Facing mounting discontent in
the CDU, shequit as party leader utb
stayedonaschancellor.
It was an extraordinary volte-face for
a politician who had always insisted the
two jobs must always be exercised by
thesameperson.Atthetime,sheadmit-
teditwasa“gamble”.
Initially it seemed to pay off. In
December 2018 Ms Merkel saw Ms
Kramp-Karrenbauer, a close ally,
electedasCDUchairwoman.Theexpec-
tation was that Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer
wouldsucceedheraschancellor,too.
But Ms Merkel’s scheme for an
orderly transition “failed spectacu-
larly”, said Andreas Rödder, a historian
atMainzuniversity.
Evidence of this was on full display
last week. In announcing her decision to
stand down, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer
took a swipe at Ms Merkel: separating
the roles of party leader and chancellor,
shesaid,had“weakened”theCDU.
The implication was clear: Ms Mer-
kel’s insistence on serving her full term
hadfatallyunderminedherhandpicked
successor’s claim to leadership and
made it impossible for her to stamp her
authorityontheCDU.Itwas,MrRödder
told German radio, the “kiss of death”
forMsMerkel.
There was some sympathy for Ms
Kramp-Karrenbauer’s complaint.
Many in Berlin had expected Ms Merkel
to swiftly pass on the chancellor’s baton
to the new CDU leader. Instead, she
remained in power, strutting the world
stage and hobnobbing with prime min-
isters and presidents while Ms Kramp-
Karrenbauer stayed at home trying — in
vain—touniteherdividedparty.
Her replacement will want to avoid a
similarfate.“Whoeversucceedsherwill
not want to repeat the experiment of
splitting the roles of party leader and
chancellor,” said one Berlin senior
official. “They will tell Merkel she can’t
goon.”
Others disagree. “It all depends on
how Merkel and AKK’s successor work
together,” said one senior CDU MP. “If
they have a good relationship then
there’s no reason why she can’t hang on
aschancellortilltheendofherterm.”
One potential contender for the CDU
crown who could doubtless form an
effective tandem with the chancellor is
Armin Laschet, the premier of North
Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most
populous state, who is seen as a Merkel
loyalist.
Cohabitation could prove impossible
if Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer were suc-
ceeded by Jens Spahn, the health minis-
ter, who has a history of run-ins with Ms
Merkel, as has Norbert Röttgen, the
influential chairman of the Bundestag’s
foreign affairs committee, who yester-
dayalsothrewhishatinthering.
Tensions between chancellor and
CDUleaderarepre-programmedifFrie-
drich Merz, former head of the party’s
parliamentary group and a longtime
rivalofMsMerkel,comesoutontop.
Yet pushing her into early retirement
could prove hard. “The problem is that
the German constitution doesn’t pro-
vide an easy way to get rid of a chancel-
lor,”saidtheofficial.
Theoretically, Ms Merkel could bow
out by tabling a vote of no confidence in
herself in the Bundestag. Yet her sup-
porters point to her strong approval rat-
ings:two-thirdsofGermansaresatisfied
with their chancellor. There is also cur-
rently no parliamentary majority for a
replacement.TheSocialDemocrats,her
junior partner in government, have
already said they would not support
anyonebutMsMerkelaschancellor.
Her backers point out that Germany
will hold the rotating presidency of the
EU in the second half of this year, and
few in Berlin want to see that disrupted
byanelectionandleadershiptransition.
Germans, then, are unlikely to go to
the polls any time before the start of
2021.Butwiththealternativessounpal-
atable, some think a transition could —
andshould—happensooner.
Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer’s successor
“will not be able to display their full tal-
ents, they won’t be able to enforce their
decisions, because they won’t have a job
in government and aren’t chancellor”,
Mr Spreng, the political consultant, told
Germanradio.
“This cohabitation will undermine
theirauthorityfromthestart.”
J I M B R U N S D E N— BRUSSELS
EU nations are preparing to toughen
conditions they will attach to any tariff-
free trade deal with the UK, reinforcing
demands from Brussels on regulatory
alignment and access to fishing waters
that Britain has already rejected.
National ambassadors will today review
the draft mandate that will guide the
EU’sapproachtonegotiations,rebuffing
Britain’s argument that it should not
face requirements that go beyond trade
deals the EU has struck with countries
suchasCanadaandJapan.
The latest version of the text, seen by
the Financial Times, responds to con-
cerns raised by France and others that
the European Commission’s original
draft did not go far enough in requiring
Britain to stick closely to EU regulation
evenasthebloc’srulesevolveovertime.
The revised document, dated Febru-
ary 17, also made clear that any agree-
ment should “uphold” EU fishermen’s
currentrightsinUKwaters.
The new text is the latest sign of how
thetwosidesareadoptingstarklydiffer-
ent positions ahead of the start of talks
in March, which follow the UK’s formal
exitfromtheblocattheendofJanuary.
David Frost, the UK’s chief Brexit
negotiator, made a bullish intervention
in Brussels on Monday, warning the EU
that Britain was determined to secure a
Canada-style trade deal by the end of
this year when a standstill transition
period expires. He said the bloc’s level-
playing-field demands undermined the
fundamentalpurposeofBrexit.
Britishofficialsarguethatthecountry
has a coherent stance, especially given
that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and
Mr Frost have made clear they accept
that this new relationship will lead to
increased barriers to trade compared
withmembershipofthesinglemarket.
While former prime minister Theresa
May’s premiership was plagued by her
inability to rally her party behind a
shared vision of Brexit, Britain is now
advancing a clear vision of what it wants
and arguing that the EU is being incon-
sistentinitsdemands.
The EU insists that Britain is, in real-
ity, seeking market access rights that go
significantly beyond those enjoyed by
Canada and Japan. While those deals
eliminate more than 90 per cent of tar-
iffs, they leave duties in place on some
sensitiveagriculturalproducts.
Britain and the EU, in contrast, are
seeking a deal without tariffs on any
product,andwithoutquotas.
The UK is set to publish a detailed
paper on its negotiating stance next
week, while EU governments plan to
adopt their mandate on February 25.
The first negotiation session is set to be
heldinBrusselsinearlyMarch.
K AT R I N A M A N S O N— WASHINGTON
DAV I D S H E P PA R D A N D M I C H A E L STOT T
LONDONThe Trump administration has
imposed sanctions on a rading subsid-t
iary of Rosneft, Russia’s state energy
powerhouse, for transporting Vene-
zuelan oil in violation of US sanctions,
ramping up its pressure campaign to
oust Venezuela’s President Nicolás
Maduro from power.
“As the primary broker of global deals
for the sale and transport of Venezuela’s
crude oil,Rosneft Trading as proppedh
up the dictatorial Maduro, enabling his
repression of the Venezuelan people,”
saidMikePompeo,USsecretaryofstate.
HeaddedthatMrMadurohadbenefited
from “malign support” from Russia,
Cuba,IranandChina.
A senior US administration official
saidyesterday the measure “not only
goes after the US-based assets but also
stands as a prohibition worldwide”. The
official said anyone engaging with Ros-
neftTradingriskedsanctions.
Rosneft Trading, which is based in
Geneva, Switzerland, did not immedi-
ately respond to a request for comment.
The US also designatedDidier Casimiro,
Rosneft Trading’s board chairman and
president. A London-based spokesman
for Mr Casimiro was not immediately
abletocomment.
Another senior US official said the
measure was the first in a series of
actionsthatwas“ademonstrationofthe
president’s commitment to securing
a democratic transition in Venezuela”,
referring to the Trump administration’s
focusonpushingoutMrMaduro.
TheUSandnumerousothercountries
backVenezuelanoppositionleaderJuan
Guaidó, who declared himself the coun-
try’s rightful interim president in Janu-
ary, citing abuses by Mr Maduro in last
year’s presidential election. Mr Trump
made a public show of support earlier
this month by bringing Mr Guaidó as a
guesttohisStateoftheUnionaddress.
Rosneft declined to comment. Shares
in Rosneft, in which BP holds a 19.75 per
cent stake, fell as much as 5.2 per centin
Moscowstockexchangeonthenews.
Rosneft’s pivotal position as a key
supplier of gasoline to Venezuela and a
facilitator of Venezuelan oil exports has
made it a lifeline for Mr Maduro’s gov-
ernment. Rosneft chief executiveIgor
Sechin, a longtime ally of Russia’s
VladimirPutin,hasbeenafrequentvisi-
tortoCaracas,andtheKremlin-control-
led oil company is thought to be making
largeprofitsfromtherelationship.
A US official said more than half the
oil coming out of Venezuela was han-
dled by Rosneft Trading, and that the
US sanctions ere a reaction tow its
“increasinglycentralrole”inVenezuela.
Oil traders were engaging in deception
and ship-to-ship transfers “in a
directefforttochangetheidentityofthe
oilandhideitfrompurchasers”.
A third US official said Rosneft Trad-
inghadfacilitatedashipmentof2mbar-
rels of oil to west Africa in January, and
last summer provided a shipment of 1m
barrels of crude oilfor Asia. The official
added: “This action shall have a signifi-
cantimpactontheMaduroregime.”
Venezuela produced 733,000 barrels
adayinJanuary,accordingtosecondary
sources relied on by Opec to assess
members’ production, equivalent to
lessthan1percentofworldsupply.
Additional reporting by Henry Foy and
Nastassia Astrasheuskaya in Moscow
Germany. hristian DemocratsC
Merkel faces calls to step down
Gamble of quitting as party
chief but remaining chancellor
viewed by many as failure
Norbert Röttgen, head of the Bundestag
foreign affairs committee, has thrown
the contest to succeed Annegret
Kramp-Karrenbauer as CDU chief wide
open. Before he declared his candidacy
yesterday it had been speculated in
Berlin that the three other main
pretenders to the job might reach an
agreement on who should run.
Though less popular than his rivals,
Mr Röttgen is the only one with strong
foreign policy experience. He has
argued for Germany to play a more
robust role in world affairs. He has
backed a push to ban Chinese telecoms
supplierHuawei rom participation inf
Germany’s 5G cellular network, setting
himself against Angela Merkel, who is
against excluding the company.
Hat in ring
Röttgen
enters
contest
Separation of
roles: Angela
Merkel, at the
chancellery in
Berlin this week,
is said by
Annegret
Kramp-
Karrenbauer to
have weakened
the CDU
HannibalHanschke/Reuters
Brexit
EU hardens stance on UK trade deal conditions
French local elections
Macron fights against Islamist ‘separatism’
Rivals have regularly
berated Bloomberg on the
campaign trail for trying
to ‘buy’ the nomination
Latin America
Rosneft unit
hit with US
sanctions for
Venezuela
oil breaches
David Frost:
UK’s chief Brexit
negotiator insists
he wants a
Canada-style deal
by the year’s end‘Whenthe republic does
not keep its promises,
others try to replace it’
Emmanuel Macron