Tillerson faces task of defending decision

WASHINGTON: As President Donald Trump announced America’s withdrawal from the Paris Accord, infuriating allies, the man charged with defending the decision kept his distance.

Having quietly lobbied Trump to stay in the pact, secretary of state Rex Tillerson was a few blocks away at the state department, where America’s diplomats were bracing for a flood of protests from overseas.

Trump’s climate reversal is the latest challenge he has presented to Tillerson, a newcomer himself to the world of diplomacy who is still working to establish his credibility as an advocate of US foreign policy.

Tillerson wasn’t the only Cabinet member to skip the Rose Garden ceremony where Trump announced his decision, but his absence was perhaps the most glaring.

“I don’t think we’re going to change our ongoing efforts to reduce those emissions in the future,” Tillerson said on Friday, playing down Trump’s decision. “So hopefully people can keep it in perspective.”

Tillerson called Trump’s action a “policy decision.” He insisted the US should be proud of its “terrific record” in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, even before the Paris pact took effect late last year.

He is sure to hear an earful about the issue in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.