蒂勒森计划缺席北约外长会议引发批评

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has come under fire for a decision not to attend next month's NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, and for an announcement that he will travel to Russia later in April.

At Tuesday's State Department briefing, acting spokesman Mark Toner said the problem is a scheduling conflict.

Rather than have his first meeting of the 28 NATO allies, Tillerson is set to attend President Donald Trump's meeting April 6-7 with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Reuters news agency reported.

Toner said Tom Shannon, acting deputy secretary of state for political affairs and former acting secretary, will represent the U.S. at the NATO meeting.

Asked about what message Tillerson's absence at the NATO meeting would send to close U.S. allies, Toner stressed that the United States remains 100 percent committed to NATO. Toner also noted that Tillerson is meeting with most, if not all, of the NATO foreign ministers Wednesday when the Coalition to Defeat Islamic State meets in Washington.

President Trump has repeatedly dismissed NATO as "obsolete," though his Vice President Mike Pence voiced staunch U.S. support for the alliance during a news conference in Brussels last month and Tillerson has also expressed his support for NATO.美国国务卿蒂勒森因决定不参加下月的北约外长会议，但宣布四月底出访俄罗斯而遭受批评。

美国国务院代理发言人特纳星期二在新闻发布会上说，不参加北约会议是因为日程安排有冲突。

路透社星期二报道，蒂勒森将缺席他上任后第一次与28个北约成员国外长的会议，但将参加4月6至7号川普总统在佛罗里达州的马阿拉歌庄园与中国国家主席习近平的会晤。

特纳说，负责政治事务的代理常务国务卿、前代理国务卿香农将代表美国出席北约会议。

在被记者问到蒂勒森国务卿缺席北约会议将向美国密切盟友发出何种信息时，特纳强调说，美国百分之百支持北约。他还是说，蒂勒森国务卿星期三在华盛顿的打击伊斯兰国组织联盟会议上将会见大多数北约成员国代表。

川普总统曾多次说，北约已经“过时”。不过，彭斯副总统上月在布鲁塞尔的记者会上表示，美国坚决支持北约，蒂勒森也表达过同样立场。