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Biden pledges to restore US relations with the world, says ‘America is back’

United States President-elect Joe Biden

*US President-elect Joe Biden says transition to the White House denied access to government agencies, descries Trump’s delay on transition  as ‘embarrassing’

Isola Moses ConsumerConnect

The United States (US) President-elect Joe Biden has said that he will work to rebuild diplomatic ties with world’s economies and leading international institutions, which he said were damaged during Donald Trump’s presidency.

According to Biden, his message to world leaders is that “America is back.”

Agency report indicates Biden had met Tuesday with defence and intelligence experts, many of whom worked for President Barack Obama when Biden was vice-president.

He was said to have assembled them because the Trump administration has blocked him from getting the intelligence briefings traditionally granted the president-elect of the US, report stated.

Biden said: “We’ve been through a lot of damage done over the last four years, in my view. We need to rebuild our institutions and my workforce to reflect the full strength and diversity of our country.

“We need to focus on readiness for whatever may come.”

As of Tuesday, Biden said he had spoken to about 13 heads of state since he was declared the winner of the election.

He also had calls with the prime ministers of India and Israel on Tuesday, both of whom forged close ties with President Donald Trump.

He related the core of his conversations with world leaders as “the message is America is back. It’s no longer America alone.”

The President-elect also met with the foreign policy experts for a briefing via video conference, including retired Army General Stanley McChrystal, retired Navy Admiral William McRaven and David Cohen, the former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency and undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence during the Obama administration.

Report noted that Biden’s transition efforts have been hampered by Trump’s refusal to concede the election. Tuesday’s meeting was not an official US Government briefing because the General Services Administration has not yet made the “ascertainment” that Biden has won the presidential election.

He had told his team of advisers that “I’m not being critical ─ just stating the obvious ─ you know that I’ve been unable to get the briefings that ordinarily would have come by now. And so, I just want to get your input on what you see ahead.”

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris joined Biden for the session from Washington, where she planned to cast votes in the US Senate.

Without access to the agencies, Biden is relying on experts from the Obama administration, as well as people who left government during the Trump years and are cooperative, to plan for the new administration, report said.

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