Rex Tillerson moves to soothe the feathers ruffled by Trump
Washington/Mexico City — US secretary of state Rex Tillerson called for unity and understanding on his first day at the state department amid internal dissent over policies of President Donald Trump that have also antagonised a range of allies. Within hours of starting the job, Tillerson reached out by phone to counterparts from Mexico and Canada, spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and met German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel, department officials said. Hundreds of State Department officials greeted the former Exxon Mobil CE with applause as he entered the building. Louder cheers broke out when Tillerson thanked acting secretary of state Tom Shannon for standing in after the departure of John Kerry. "Hi, I’m the new guy," said Tillerson, who was sworn in on Wednesday after the senate confirmed him to his post despite concern about his ties with Russia. Trump has called for closer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In remarks that did not touc...
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