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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 16 November 2017
Senators warn Tillerson diplomatic power Lebanese PM

Hariri invited to
is being dismantled France: Macron

By PHILIP ISSA
Foreign Service due to at- ANGELA CHARLTON
trition and resignations with Associated Press
promotions and the recruit- BEIRUT (AP) — French Presi-
ment of new entry-level dent Emmanuel Macron
officers appears to be in- on Wednesday invited
tended to reduce staffing Saad Hariri and his family
levels,” the senators said. to come to France after
Tillerson is overseeing an the Lebanese prime min-
overhaul of the depart- ister’s surprise resignation
ment’s unwieldy bureau- earlier this month, amid al-
cracy. The State Depart- legations that Saudi Arabia
ment has rebuffed previ- is holding him prisoner.
ous criticisms of the on- Hariri’s older brother mean-
going “redesign effort,” while broke his silence over
arguing that the sprawling the premier’s shock resig-
agency has never before nation announced from
undergone a comprehen- Riyadh earlier this month,
sive, employee-led review after speculation that
of how it operates. the elder Hariri was being
The department has chal- groomed by Saudi Arabia
lenged several of the sky- to fill the post.
is-falling statistics that are Bahaa Hariri, in a state-
repeated in the letter from ment to the Associated
McCain and Shaheen. For Press, said he supported his
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a joint press conference with Myanmar Foreign example, the claim that brother’s resignation and
Minister Aung San Suu Kyi at the Foreign Ministry office in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Wednesday, Nov. number of career ambas- thanked Saudi Arabia for
15, 2017. Tillerson said Wednesday that his country was deeply concerned by “credible reports” sadors has dropped by 60 “decades of support” for
of atrocities committed by Myanmar’s security forces and called for an independent investiga- Lebanon’s institutions. He
tion into a humanitarian crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya flee to percent is a “misleading
Bangladesh. description,” according to accused Iran and the Leb-
(AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo) a State Department state- anese militant group Hez-
ment from last week. In bollah of seeking to “take
By RICHARD LARDNER In a letter to Tillerson, Sens. in the future, they said. January, there were five control of Lebanon.”
Associated Press John McCain, R-Ariz., and Promotion rates for senior career ambassadors. Three Hariri declined to com-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., foreign service officers have since retired, leaving ment further in a phone
senators warned Secretary said a hiring freeze in ef- have decreased dramati- two, which “is within the call with the AP.
of State Rex Tillerson on fect since late January at cally over the last year, historical norms.” France, Lebanon’s one-
Wednesday that U.S. dip- the State Department has according to their letter, The department said once time colonial ruler, has
lomatic power is being dis- almost halted the influx of which also cited falling several dozen promotions been trying to mediate in
mantled on his watch, and new foreign service offi- numbers of career ambas- are approved by Congress the crisis between Leba-
they urged him to reverse cers. Shutting off the intake sadors and career minis- there will be just over 1,000 non and Saudi Arabia.
course before America’s of entry-level officers will in- ters. foreign service officers — a Macron said he was not of-
leadership role in the world evitably lead to shortages “The failure to replace number nearly identical to fering Hariri political “exile,”
is further degraded. of experienced personnel losses from the ranks of the the total a year ago. q but that it was paramount
to dispel fears that Saudi
Arabia had taken the Leb-
NATO says will have enough forces in Afghanistan anese premier prisoner.
“We need to have lead-
ers who are free to express
By ROB GILLIES Stoltenberg said the troop this weekend. capabilities and the “high- themselves,” said Macron.
Associated Press level will go from 13,000 to NATO officials said ear- est level of risk we faced” in “It’s important that (Hariri)
TORONTO (AP) — NATO’s around 16,000. “I’m abso- lier this month the alliance the 16-year war. is able to advance the po-
chief said Wednesday he lutely confident that we will came up short, meeting a “There’s still a lot of violence litical process in his country
is certain the alliance will have sufficient forces when bit more than 90 percent in Afghanistan but at the in the coming days and
have sufficient forces to ful- we move into 2018,” Stol- of the military requirements same time we’ve seen a lot weeks.”
fill its training mission in Af- tenberg said. “We are still outlined by command- of important progress,” Stol- An official in the French
ghanistan after months of receiving pledges and an- ers. U.S. military leaders, tenberg said. “The Afghans president’s office, who
lobbying allies to increase nouncements about more however, said then they are now able to respond spoke on condition of
troop contributions. Secre- troop contributions from were encouraged by the every time the insurgents anonymity because he
tary-General Jens Stolten- allies.” Stoltenberg said continuing discussions with and the Taliban attack ... was not authorized to be
berg said in an interview the troops won’t conduct several nations, who may They have also been able named publicly, said Hariri
with The Associated Press combat operations but eventually agree to in- to prevent the insurgents is expected to travel to
on Wednesday that NATO help to train and assist the crease their commitments. or Taliban from taking over France in the coming days
will meet the requirements Afghan security forces, no- U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scap- any of the provincial capi- with his family.
set out by Gen. John Nich- tably to train special forces arrotti, NATO’s top military tals which was a strategic Macron said the invitation
olson, the top U.S. com- and build up the conflict- officer, said in Brussels the goal of the Taliban this was extended to the pre-
mander for Afghanistan, torn country’s air force. He troop commitment hadn’t year.” NATO countries are mier after discussion be-
who has said he needs spoke of ahead of his at- been reached yet. Nichol- under pressure from U.S. tween the two and Saudi
close to 16,000 troops to fill tendance at the Halifax In- son said a gap has contrib- and NATO leaders to beef Arabia’s Crown Prince Mo-
the NATO training mission. ternational Security Forum uted to the lowest level of up their commitments. q hammed bin Salman. q