Posted on 04/09/2017 1:07:11 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says there's no "hard evidence" of Russian involvement in Syria's chemical bomb attack, but charges Moscow's been "incompetent" and "out-maneuvered" by Bashar al-Assad.
In an interview with ABC News' "This Week" aired Sunday, Tillerson said in his visit to Russia this week, he'll call upon Moscow "to fulfill the obligation it made to the international community when it agreed to be the guarantor of the elimination of the chemical weapons."
"Why Russia has not been able to achieve that is unclear to me," he said. "I don't draw conclusions of complicity at all. But clearly, they've been incompetent, and perhaps they've just simply been out-maneuvered by the Syrians."
Also in the interview, Tillerson said there's been "no change" to the U.S. military stance in Syria beyond the missile strike in retaliation for the Assad government's use of chemical weapons on its citizens, yet the action carries a message for other countries acting outside international norms.
The U.S. still hopes to shepherd a "political process that we believe the Syrian people will lawfully be able to decide the fate of Assad," Tillerson said in reference to Syria's president.
This week's airstrike "was a message to Bashar al-Assad that your multiple violations of your agreements at the UN, your agreements under the chemical weapons charter back in 2013, that those would not go without a response in the future," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
>>Who is the side we are HELPING in the Syrian civil war, Jim?
It sure quacks like The Hillary Clinton Regime Change Investment Club’s bidness model.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCTzFNrsKns&feature=youtu.be&t=13s
If somebody would provide forensic evidence (like a chromatograph) that excluded the chem weapons taken from Libya by Clinton’s MoBro thugs as the source of the weapons allegedly involved in the provocative Syrian deaths - that would sure be nice.
You really need to keep up on things! There are many Christians living in areas controlled by Assad. His forces protect them, other religious minorities and secular people. You may not believe that...but it is true.
Dang!
The optometrist is smarter than the ex KGB leader
Being able to hide/use chemical weapons does not make him smarter. Using them makes him more stupid.
Sure, he was able to kill some rebels, but he went from a somewhat neutral U.S. to a somewhat hostile U.S.
That is *not* smart.
He would have been much better off not to have tested President Trump.
I think Tillerson is being disingenuous, in part to allow the Russians to save face. Better to be considered incompetent than evil. Although, if he really wanted to allow the Russians to save face, instead of calling them incompetent, he would have said that they are just as shocked and appalled as we are.
You’re not going to gain any points with McCain and Graham with that post, Jim. :-)
I may have done the same thing as Trump after a while, but I'd have damn sure waited for more proof that those aircraft actually dropped chemical weapons rather than taking Al Qaeda's word for it or at the very least, I'd have hit that Al Qaeda stronghold just as hard saying we couldn't be sure whether it was their weapons hit by an airstrike that caused the deaths or weapons dropped by the Syrians that caused the deaths.
Messaging by hurting the people fighting ISIS and Al Qaeda isn't smart no matter who the message was intended for.
JMHo
Seriously substitute Sadam for Assad and Iraq for syria. I am opposed to this, at the moment.
The rapefugees crisis started when an Aleppo child washed up in front of cameras.
That’s what I’m praying for. But they just demoted KT McFarland —
WH reporter said she was told it was because Singapore has a lot of English Media and can do a lot of press.
I laughed really hard at that nonsense.
The refugee crisis goes on, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the main cause of the refugee crisis are the bombs from the air, Assad. Even that Shia cleric who was a foe in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr says Assad should step down.
If one likes refugees flooding into the west, by all means, pull for Putin and Assad.
The U.S. has a longstanding policy to deter the use of WMD by anyone, reserving the right to use whatever force is necessary to that purpose. This was a blow for neither side, but rather a blow for a founding principal of international law, U.S. policy and the interests of all civilized people.
None of those “refugees” are Syrian.
To me, it would make sense that Putin knew this language would be used. I’m fine with this if it was all replanted. I don’t know all the machinations behind the scenes, but if it helps shut down the MSM and Soros types, it’s a winner for me.
Mamzelle, demotion, or putting her in “theater” as NK is about to go Hot? What will be Singapore’s role when we smack that little day B@$tard?
Oops little fat....
It appears to me that the administration is going down a bad path. Assad is scum but he keeps the real scum in check and the LAST thing we need in the ME is another power vacuum. I'm not convinced Assad is responsible for the sarin attacks and I'm not sure I care even if he is. We should be supporting both him and the Russians - moderately. In order to maintain some level of influence with both and improve relations with Putin. Mostly we should avoid expending much blood or treasure in Syria. We need to stop naïve 'nation building' in Islamic countries.
I agree. “A onetime strike to deter Assad’s use of chemical weapons.” The message to the world was don’t mess with the U.S. Another shoe may drop when our carrier group arrives off of Korea. I believe a carrier group can loiter for a long time.
Sorry, the refugees are 99.5% not Syrian so you must mean aircraft bombing Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, countries where neither Assad or Putin are bombing anyone.
Not just demoted. She will be hors de combat in her new post in Singapore.
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