Ten days ago the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Mali warned every American to avoid any travel to Mali and specifically to avoid any resort, hotel or venue without high security: “Avoid vulnerable locations with poor security measures in place, including hotels, restaurants, and churches.”

The U.S. State Department specifically warned of al-Qaeda (AQIM) attacks and kidnapping: “In the border regions shared by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, extremist groups and linked criminal networks have targeted Westerners for kidnapping.”

Today, a holiday resort in Mali popular with Western tourists has been stormed by gunmen, with hostages taken.

(Via Daily Mail) […] Shots were heard by local residents near Le Campement Kangaba, to the eastern edge of the Malian capital Bamako, with plumes of smoke also seen billowing into the air.

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, Guatemalan President James Morales and El Salvadoran Vice President Oscar Ortiz hold a joint press availability session at the conclusion of the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America. The conference was hosted in Miami Florida.

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[Transcript] MODERATOR: Welcome, everyone, to the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America. Bienvenidos a todos a la Conferencia sobre de Prosperidad y Seguridad en America Central. We will begin this press conference with remarks from U.S. Secretary of State of the United States Rex Tillerson, Foreign Secretary of Mexico Luis Videgaray, President of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez, President of Guatemala Jimmy Morales, and Vice President of El Salvador Oscar Ortiz.

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U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addresses the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America in Miami.

[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, thank you, Jorge, for that most kind introduction, and also in particular, I want to thank Florida International University for providing their campus and the host site for this conference, which we have been planning for some time and very excited to get it underway.

I also want to thank Foreign Secretary Videgaray, Secretary Osorio, the Government of Mexico for co-hosting this conference, along with my colleague, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary Kelly.

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During a senate hearing today Democrat Senator Chris Coons complained to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the U.S. State Department is: a.) not spending enough money, and b.) not spending fast enough; on foreign aid to third world countries.

Coons was citing the previous Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joe Biden who said: “show me your budget and I’ll show you your priorities“.  Secretary of State Tillerson took exception and explained how he looks at this differently.  The Trump administration is not spending oriented, they are results oriented.

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Tillerson: “The statement ‘show me your funding and I’ll show you your level of commitment,’ I do not agree with. Funding does not equal results.  Show me your results, and I’ll tell you your commitment. What are the results, and then I’ll tell you what I need to deliver on those results. Giving me a pot of money and suggesting that confirms our success and commitment is just simply—I have to take exception to that, I’ve never had that experience.”

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Today, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget.

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[Transcript] SECRETARY TILLERSON: Well, some of you may have seen a press release that was put out just before I arrived announcing that at the President’s direction, the Department of State has secured the release of Otto Warmbier from North Korea. He is on his way, en route home, to be reunited with his family.

We continue our discussions with the North Korean regime regarding the release of the three other American citizens that have been detained. We have no comment on Mr. Warmbier’s condition, out of respect to him and the family, and that is the statement that was released.

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UPDATE:  Absolutely brilliant strategic approach taken by President Trump and Secretary of State Tillerson; essentially supporting the GCC against Qatar via a mediation role that resembles Bad Cop/Good Cop.   Those closely following the deep-weeds diplomacy will note the predictability of exactly this approach.

This is not the first time this issue has surfaced.  Qatar is a financier of terrorism and extremist Islamic sentiment via their support for the Muslim Brotherhood.  In 2014 the Arab nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), confronted Qatar and pulled their diplomats to force Qatar to expell the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood….

Against President Trump renewed call to “drive out” the extremists and confront terrorism, the GCC is once again calling out Qatar.  President Trump is the big stick  enforcer expressing understanding for the GCC approach; Secretary Tillerson is the diplomat trying to change the behavior of Qatar with carrots.

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Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are in Sydney, Australia, June 5–6, participating in the 2017 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations hosted by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne.

T-Rex, Mattis and their Australian counterparts are discussing a full range of U.S-Australian cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues.

Press Conference Video:  (U.S. media show publicly why T-Rex dislikes them at 16:30, who was that idjit.)

Secretary Tillerson will then travel to New Zealand to discuss strategic interests with Prime Minister English and Foreign Minister Brownlee.

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Showcasing a unique aspect of the President Trump common sense approach toward coalition building, today the United Nations security council voted unanimously, in public, to increase sanctions against North Korea.   Yes, ‘unanimously’.

China and Russia voted in alliance with the permanent security council members the U.S., France and the United Kingdom to support increased sanctions.  They voted in alignment publicly.  Don’t look for the anti-Trump media to make note of this critical point.

(Via Reuters) […] Adding names to the U.N. blacklist – a global travel ban and asset freeze – was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

“The Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today – stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences,” Haley said.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang’s overseas spying operations.

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AP is reporting the leaders of France (Macron), Germany (Merkel), and Italy (Genteloni) have released a joint statement saying the Paris Climate Treaty is irreversible and cannot be renegotiated. Effectively shutting down the only option President Trump left on the table for them:

Pay attention to the last sentence in the AP joint statement snippet:

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said in a joint statement Thursday that they take note “with regret” the U.S. decision to pull out of the 2015 agreement.

The three leaders say they regard the accord as “a cornerstone in the cooperation between our countries, for effectively and timely tackling climate change.”

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(Via Reuters) The United States has started distributing arms to Syrian Kurdish fighters battling to help retake the city of Raqqa from Islamic State, a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday, as the United States moved ahead with a plan despite concerns by ally Turkey.

The official said distribution of the arms had started in the past 24 hours, based on authority given by President Donald Trump earlier this month. (read more)

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