Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday said the U.S. is considering an “appropriate response” to the Syrian government’s apparent use of chemical weapons and that he sees “no role” in the country for President Bashar Assad.
“The process by which Assad would leave is something that requires an international community effort both to first defeat ISIS within Syria, to stabilize the Syrian country to avoid further civil war and then to work collectively with our partners around the world through a political process that would lead to Assad leaving,” Tillerson said at a news conference in Palm Beach, Fla.
Tillerson on Assad: "Clearly with the acts that he has taken it would seem there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people." pic.twitter.com/Nr5BcHJmz1
— ABC News (@ABC) April 6, 2017
“Assad’s role in the future is uncertain, clearly, and with the acts that he has taken it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people,” he said.
On Tuesday, a chemical attack in northern Syria killed more than 70 civilians, including several children.
Eyewitnesses and aid workers say the strike was carried out by Syrian government forces.
President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday that “something should happen” to Assad in retaliation for the chemical weapons attack, though he declined to say what role the U.S. would play.
“He’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so I guess something should happen,” Trump said.
The president would not confirm reports on Thursday that the U.S. was weighing a military response in Syria, and that the Pentagon was presenting possible options to Trump on military retaliation.
“I don’t want to say what I’m going to be doing with respect to Syria,” he added.
Tillerson’s remarks on Thursday marked a change of tone for the secretary of State, who said last week that the “longer-term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.”
That sentiment was echoed by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who told reporters last week that removing Assad from power would no longer be a “priority” of the U.S.
Haley, however, offered a sweeping condemnation of the chemical weapons attack on Wednesday during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, in which she tore into Russia for its continued support of the Assad regime and called for swift action against the Syrian government.
“We don’t yet know everything about yesterday’s attack. But there are many things we do know,” she said. “We know that yesterday’s attacks bears all the hallmarks of the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. We know that Assad has used these weapons against the Syrian people before.”
In the wake of the chemical attack on Tuesday, Trump issued a statement condemning the strike and placing blame on the Obama administration for not previously taking action in Syria.
But on Wednesday, the president toughened his rhetoric. The chemical weapons attack, he said in the White House Rose Garden, had a “big impact” on him and altered his view of Assad and Syria.
“I will tell you that attack on children yesterday had a big impact on me — big impact,” Trump said in the White House Rose Garden.
“My attitude toward Syria and Assad has changed very much. … You’re now talking about a whole different level.”
http://thehill.com/policy/international/327660-tillerson-no-role-for-assad-in-syria
Liars! Absolute liars!
This is nothing more than the Israeli Zionist American empire spreading death and mayhem around the globe for profit.
We must no stand by and allow this.
This is so infuriating, and Trump you are nothing and if you continue down this path you will be as if you never even existed.
I wonder how our group of clowns in DC would react to another country saying they are going to remove our president from power in any way necessary ?
Hi Enemy of the State,
It wouldn’t matter if anyone said they were going to, “remove the US President”,.. because we don’t have one.
We have an Enemy-Force-In-Occupation (… a Zionist-mafia) with a showcase front man that does little else than read his Zionist-jew-communist Que-cards,…. and if he (and the little hair-piece that rode into town on him) are good little Zionist hand puppets,.. and do everything they are told,… they will get to play with Melania’s little hair piece….. (brrrrrmp – pish! go the drums…)
JD – US Marines: WOW!,.. notice how different Trump is from Obama??,… WAAAAIIITTTTT A SECOND!,…. I’m beginning to think that Trump is nothing more than,… Than,… THAN!,…. a white Obama! (Ta-DAAAAAA go the horns!… There,.. I said it!,… I didn’t want to,… but I did!…)
.
“We have an Enemy-Force-In-Occupation (… a Zionist-mafia) with a showcase front man that does little else than read his Zionist-jew-communist Que-cards,…. and if he (and the little hair-piece that rode into town on him) are good little Zionist hand puppets,.. and do everything they are told,… they will get to play with Melania’s little hair piece….. (brrrrrmp – pish! go the drums…)”
Hear, hear!
ROFLMAO Love it! 😆 😆 😆 😉 😀 😀 😀
Thank-hewwww,… thank-hewww allllll,… thank-hew,… thank-hew very much,…I’ll be here all week performing for the 3 & 4pm shows!,…… thank-hew all again……..
😀 😀 😀
Read my comment on the other article of the same subject. I said it before and I’ll say it again, trump was put in place to appease the American idiots and lead them to a full on war. His flip flops will be echoed by his admirers so that they don’t have to face reality that they have again been conned in the voting game. I sincerely hope this government tastes everything it’s dishing out and Israel has a double serving.
“… he sees “no role” in the country for President Bashar Assad.”
How so is that YOUR (OR ANYBODY ELSE’S, for that matter!) call to make, jewb#tch scumbag??? NONEYERF’NBIZNESS, sleazeball!
“The president would not confirm reports on Thursday that the U.S. was weighing a military response in Syria,…”
Waiting for the call from Tel Aviv (bestest friends, don’cha know).
The sabre-rattling in intensifying.
I am kornfused, as in I thought Russia took control/possession of Syria’s stock-pile of chemical weapons a few years back to throw off the plans to out Assad back then