Senior US Republican senators criticise Tillerson on lack of focus on Pakistan, Afghanistan
Graham, McCain also took aim at Tillerson's remarks last week that Russia may have 'got the right approach' to...
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington, US. PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON:
Two senior Republican US senators criticised Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday for his lack of focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Graham, who visited Afghanistan and Pakistan last week with McCain, accused Tillerson of being 'AWOL' on the two countries and failing to fill key State Department posts. "I am so worried about the State Department," Graham said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
A State Department official responded to the criticism of Tillerson by saying the State Department was taking an active role in a review of Afghanistan and Pakistan policy and continued to work with the White House on nominations.
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Since the exit of most foreign troops in 2014, Afghanistan’s US-backed government has lost ground to a Taliban insurgency in a war that kills and maims thousands of civilians each year.
Tillerson was also scrutinised for saying that Russia may have the "right approach" on Syria. "His statements about Syria really disturb me. No, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not have it right when it comes to Syria," Senator Lindsey Graham said.
In separate television interviews, Graham and Senator John McCain, prominent Republican foreign policy voices, took aim at Tillerson's remarks last week that Russia may have "got the right approach" and the United States the wrong approach to Syria.
Russia has backed President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war, while the United States supports rebel groups trying to overthrow him.
McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he 'sometimes' regretted backing Tillerson's nomination by Republican President Donald Trump and that his comments on Russia being 'right' on Syria made him emotional and upset.
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"I know what the slaughter has been like. I know that the Russians knew that Bashar Assad was going to use chemical weapons. And to say that maybe we've got the wrong approach?" he said.
Both senators backed the nomination of Tillerson in January, even while expressing concern about his dealings with Russia when he was chief executive of ExxonMobil.
When asked, US State Department official, who did not want to be identified, said a US-Russian-brokered ceasefire for southwest Syria was an example of what the secretary had described as the potential to coordinate with Russia, in spite of unresolved differences, "to produce stability and serve our mutual security interests."
Two senior Republican US senators criticised Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday for his lack of focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Graham, who visited Afghanistan and Pakistan last week with McCain, accused Tillerson of being 'AWOL' on the two countries and failing to fill key State Department posts. "I am so worried about the State Department," Graham said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
A State Department official responded to the criticism of Tillerson by saying the State Department was taking an active role in a review of Afghanistan and Pakistan policy and continued to work with the White House on nominations.
Tillerson in Istanbul amid Turkey-US tensions
Since the exit of most foreign troops in 2014, Afghanistan’s US-backed government has lost ground to a Taliban insurgency in a war that kills and maims thousands of civilians each year.
Tillerson was also scrutinised for saying that Russia may have the "right approach" on Syria. "His statements about Syria really disturb me. No, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin does not have it right when it comes to Syria," Senator Lindsey Graham said.
In separate television interviews, Graham and Senator John McCain, prominent Republican foreign policy voices, took aim at Tillerson's remarks last week that Russia may have "got the right approach" and the United States the wrong approach to Syria.
Russia has backed President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war, while the United States supports rebel groups trying to overthrow him.
McCain told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he 'sometimes' regretted backing Tillerson's nomination by Republican President Donald Trump and that his comments on Russia being 'right' on Syria made him emotional and upset.
Trump, Putin in first showdown at headstrong G20
"I know what the slaughter has been like. I know that the Russians knew that Bashar Assad was going to use chemical weapons. And to say that maybe we've got the wrong approach?" he said.
Both senators backed the nomination of Tillerson in January, even while expressing concern about his dealings with Russia when he was chief executive of ExxonMobil.
When asked, US State Department official, who did not want to be identified, said a US-Russian-brokered ceasefire for southwest Syria was an example of what the secretary had described as the potential to coordinate with Russia, in spite of unresolved differences, "to produce stability and serve our mutual security interests."