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BRUSSELS, April 27-- The new American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, thrilled members of NATO Friday by arriving on time for a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, having only just been sworn-in at the White House on Thursday afternoon. Pompeo's speedy arrival to the NATO meeting, held in order to prepare for the bloc's next summit in July, showed a new attitude from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who in January of 2017 was quoted as calling NATO "obsolete" and criticized allies for not carrying their share of the financial burden. NATO's European allies have spent more on defense for a second consecutive year in 2017 but the majority of them still failed to meet the target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense. "It was a great pleasure to welcome Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Brussels this morning," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a news conference on Friday. "He actually jumped on a plane just after he was sworn in. I think that's actually a new record and it also shows his strong personal commitment to the alliance and it reconfirms the commitment of the United States and President Trump to the transatlantic bond," he said, Allies also noted to reporters that Pompeo appeared to be in a listening mode, which was also a welcome demeanor. Pompeo's first day on the job as Secretary of State showed that the sentiment remains. At the news conference, Pompeo was asked by a reporter if Germany, as the richest NATO ally after the United States, was acting quickly enough to increase defense spending. "No," he replied. | 
