US
secretary of state Rex Tillerson is preparing to start today a diplomatic
mission to Europe, days after reports surfaced of a White House plan to force
him out.
Tillerson
is scheduled to attend NATO, EU, and OSCE meetings and to hold bilateral talks
with Belgian and Austrian officials in Brussels and Vienna on December 5-7. He
is also due to make a stop in Paris on December 8 for meetings with French
officials.
An
encounter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also planned on the
sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) in the Austrian capital.
Tillerson
on Saturday denied that he was leaving his post to be replaced by CIA Director
Mike Pompeo. Senior administration officials on said President Donald Trump was
mulling a plan to oust the top U.S. diplomat, whose relationship with the
president has been strained by Tillerson’s softer line on North Korea and other
policy differences.
Ahead of
his European tour, Tillerson stressed Washington’s commitment to European
security, especially as Russia continues what he called its “aggressive
behaviour.” Tillerson said Russia’s military interventions in Georgia and
Ukraine, and interference in European elections and politics were unacceptable.
The
president and the secretary of state have often contradicted each other in
public statements regarding major international issues.
In
Brussels, Tillerson will participate in a December 5-6 NATO Foreign Ministers
Meeting and will also meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and
foreign ministers of the bloc to discuss “U.S.-EU cooperation on major global
issues,” the State Department said in a statement.
On December
7 in Vienna, he will attend the opening and first plenary sessions of the OSCE
Ministerial Council — the central decision-making and governing body of the
organisation.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/tillerson-heading-brussels-amid-reports-imminent-dismissal/