The Secretary of state and U.S. Ambassador to the UN made with different views on the future of Assad
The Washington Post writes that the statements by Rex Tillerson and Nikki Haley show “the level at which questions remain about the nature of U.S. policy toward Syria” after missile strikes the United States.
WASHINGTON, April 9. /Offset. TASS Anton Cranks/. U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson and the U.S. permanent representative to the UN, Nikki Haley spoke during a Sunday interview to the American TV channels with the various views on the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
So, Haley, in an interview with CNN said that the United States does not see a peaceful political settlement of the Syrian conflict, while Assad remains in power.
“We do not see a peaceful Syria with Assad,” Haley said, describing the goal of US policy in the Arab Republic of “defeat ISIS (banned in the Russian terrorist group “Islamic state”),” which will lead to “peace and stability in the region.” “This will lead to getting rid of the Iranian influence, which we think causes so many disagreements and serious problems”, — said the permanent representative of the United States. “And then we have to make sure that there is a leader who will protect his people, and it is obvious that it is not Assad,” she said.
However, Tillerson, in an interview to ABC said that the Syrian people must ultimately decide the fate of Assad.
He pointed to the defeat of ISIS as the main priority of the US administration in Syria and talked about the preference of the United States regarding the future of the Syrian leader. “Our main priority is to defeat ISIS, he explained. — As soon as we finish the battle against ISIS, and as long as everything goes well, then we hope to pay attention to the agreement on a ceasefire between opposition forces and the regime (Assad)”.
“In this regard, we hope to be able to work with Russia to use her influence to create areas of stability throughout the Syria and the conditions for a political process in Geneva, in which we can engage all sides (of the conflict). And it is through this political process, we believe that the Syrian people can decide the fate of Bashar al-Assad,” — said the chief of American diplomacy.
According to the newspaper The Washington Post, the statement, Tillerson and Haley “indicate the level at which questions remain about the nature of U.S. policy toward Syria” after the US President Donald trump on April 6 ordered U.S. forces to launch 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the military airport in the Syrian province of HOMS. A rocket attack was a response to the intended application of April 4 chemical weapons in the Syrian province of Idlib. The US government believes that this airfield was started by the alleged chemical attack. According to the defense Ministry of the Russian Federation, the Syrian aircraft that day bombed the shop, where militants made ammunition with toxic substances that existed in Iraq and were used in Aleppo.