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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 14 March 2017
Tillerson heads to Asia with North Korea tensions high

MATTHEW LEE gest country and arrange launched four missiles into nuclear weapons and mis- such coverage more diffi-
MATTHEW PENNINGTON a much-anticipated visit the ocean off Japan as siles. cult.
Associated Press by Chinese President Xi Jin- the U.S. and South Korea For now, there appears Reporters have traveled
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sec- ping to the United States. began annual drills. The to be no desire to negoti- with the secretary of state
retary of State Rex Tillerson Tillerson’s four-day trip will allies call the drills routine. ate with North Korea — a to report quickly on devel-
holdover stance from the opments in foreign nego-
Obama administration, tiations. Such practices al-
which demanded the low immediate and com-
North first commit to the prehensive coverage of
goal of denuclearization. the diplomacy at hand.
But U.S. officials have been Journalists also are pres-
vague about what their ent if something untoward
new approach might en- happens to the secretary
tail. of state. In 2015, John Kerry
All eyes are now on Tillerson fell off his bicycle outside
as he tries to navigate the Geneva, breaking his leg at
complex and sometime a delicate moment in Iran
acrimonious relationships nuclear negotiations.
necessary for formulating a Some U.S. lawmakers are
regional strategy. It’s a task concerned Tillerson risks let-
President Donald Trump ting foreign governments
complicated last year by shape coverage and send-
challenging Japan and ing a message that Wash-
South Korea to contribute ington isn’t committed to
more to their own defense supporting a free press.
and questioning the fun- Sen. Edward Markey, a
damentals of four decades Massachusetts Democrat,
of U.S. diplomacy with Chi- urged Tillerson last week to
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson smiles as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meet- na. But since taking office, reconsider. It wasn’t clear
ing in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 13, 2017. Tillerson Trump has sought to allay if the decision might be
plunges this week into the increasingly volatile situation in North Asia with visits to Japan, South those concerns. amended.
Korea and China. Tillerson will travel on a Tillerson arrives Wednes-
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
small plane without a con- day in Japan and will meet
plunges this week into the be closely watched for Pyongyang regards them tingent of journalists or a Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
increasingly volatile situa- signs of how the Trump ad- as an invasion rehearsal. designated pool reporter the next day. Abe has
tion in North Asia with vis- ministration will approach The Trump administration is who would send reports courted Trump, visiting the
its to Japan, South Korea the escalating tensions with searching for new ideas to to the broader diplomatic president’s Mar-a-Lago re-
and China, the region’s North Korea, whose leader stop North Korea in ways press corps, departing from sort in Florida last month.
central players for deal- has disregarded interna- that years of international 50 years of practice and North Korea marked the
ing with North Korea’s mis- tional appeals to disarm sanctions and diplomatic even from Tillerson’s ear- occasion by test-launching
sile launches and nuclear and accelerated weapons isolation have failed to do. lier official overseas trips to a new type of solid-fuel mis-
tests. Complicating the mis- development. The North While administration offi- Germany and Mexico. sile.
sion are Chinese concerns conducted two nuclear cials say all options are on The State Department says Tillerson then visits South
about how the U.S. has re- tests and 24 ballistic mis- the table, including military it will accommodate U.S.- Korea, caught up in po-
sponded so far. sile tests last year, deepen- ones, early signs indicate based reporters traveling litical upheaval after last
Beijing strenuously objects ing concern in Washington the U.S. wants to ensure cur- to Asia commercially by week’s ouster of its presi-
to the initial deployment to that it could soon develop rent sanctions are properly providing them access to dent, Park Geun-hye, over
South Korea of a U.S. mis- a nuclear-tipped missile applied, targeting the gov- Tillerson’s public events at a corruption scandal. Park
sile defense system. One capable of reaching the ernment’s revenue sources each stop. But commercial had been in lockstep with
of Tillerson’s chief tasks will U.S. mainland. and ability to import sensi- flights don’t easily align with Washington’s efforts to iso-
be to assuage Asia’s big- Last week, North Korea tive technology usable in Tillerson’s schedule, making late Pyongyang. q

Top Saudi prince to meet Trump in White House visit

ABDULLAH AL-SHIHRI med bin Salman, who is The prince, who departed ington has been bombing Obama had also openly
AYA BATRAWY also defense minister and for Washington on Monday, Iran-backed Shiite rebels criticized Gulf Arab coun-
Associated Press King Salman’s son, will is spearheading the king- for nearly two years. tries, expressing frustration
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) take place Thursday at the dom’s economic overhaul Saudi Arabia, the world’s at their feud with Iran.
— The White House con- White House. No other de- to become less dependent top oil exporter and biggest In contrast, the kingdom
firmed Monday that Presi- tails were provided. on oil and its major invest- buyer of American-made has expressed optimism
dent Donald Trump will The Saudi royal court, in a ments in U.S. technology arms, is also part of the about rebuilding its alliance
meet this week with Saudi statement carried by the firms. U.S.-led coalition bombing with Washington and work-
Arabia’s second-in-line to official Saudi Press Agency He will be the first Gulf Arab campaign against the Is- ing with the Trump Admin-
the throne in the highest- earlier Monday, said that royal to meet the president lamic State group in Syria. istration to contain Iran’s
level visit to Washington by Prince Mohammed will since his inauguration. Saudi relations with Wash- reach in the region.
a Saudi royal since Novem- meet with Trump and a Key issues at the top of the ington cooled under Presi- In a call between Trump
ber’s presidential election. number of U.S. officials to agenda are likely to in- dent Barack Obama after and King Salman in Janu-
In his daily press briefing, discuss “the strengthening clude global energy prices, his administration secured ary, the two agreed to
White House press sec- of bilateral relations be- as well as the conflicts in a nuclear deal with region- back safe zones in Syria
retary Sean Spicer said tween the two countries Syria, Iraq, Libya and Ye- al rival Iran. and Yemen, according to
the meeting with Deputy and regional issues of mu- men, where a Saudi-led The deal has been heavily a White House statement.
Crown Prince Moham- tual interest.” coalition backed by Wash- criticized by Trump. q