title: Germany's Merkel says Paris climate accord is an 'essential' pact
text: BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the Paris climate accord as an “essential” pact on Thursday and said she was pleased that many other governments took the same view. U.S. President Donald Trump will announce later on Thursday his decision on whether to keep the United States in the landmark global pact to fight climate change. A source close to the matter said he was preparing to pull out of the accord. 