MESOP NEWS TODAYS SHORT CUTS & RELEVANT TWEETS (THE STORY OF BASHAR AL ASSAD)

The White House accused Russia of engaging in a cover-up of the Syrian government’s role in last week’s chemical weapons attack. Moscow emphatically denied the claim.

The U.S. also said that it had confirmed that the government of Bashar al-Assad had used sarin gas in the attack. Today, the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on whether to condemn the assault.

Rex Tillerson, the U.S. secretary of state, is facing an icy day of talks in Moscow, after calling on the Kremlin to drop its support of Mr. Assad. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/world/europe/russia-putin-trump.html?emc=edit_mbe_20170412&nl=morning-briefing-europe&nlid=73143833&te=1&_r=0

“The Daily” podcast explores how Mr. Assad went from mild-mannered ophthalmology student to brutal ruler.  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/podcasts/the-daily/bashar-al-assad.html?emc=edit_mbe_20170412&nl=morning-briefing-europe&nlid=73143833&te=1

One remark by Mr. Tillerson at his talks in Italy with G-7 foreign ministers might have been more to Moscow’s liking: Why should U.S. taxpayers care about Ukraine, he was said to have asked his counterparts.

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