Rice fails to allay LIBYA concerns

US: US envoy to the UN Susan Rice on Tuesday failed to quell a row with Republican lawmakers over the attack on a US mission in Libya that may damage her hopes of becoming the next Secretary of State.

After hour-long talks, the lawmakers dug in their heels, saying they were more troubled than ever by the US administration’s explanation, led by Rice, about the September 11 attack on the US mission in Benghazi.

Senator John McCain, who has led the Republican onslaught, said they had had a “very candid discussion” but “we are significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got and some that we didn’t get.” He later told Fox television he would be “hard-pressed” to support Rice if she is nominated to replace Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.

Clinton is set to step down as the top US diplomat early next year, and Rice is widely touted as the favorite to be nominated for the post.

President Barack Obama is due to reshuffle his cabinet heading into his second term in the White House, and veteran senator and foreign policy wonk John Kerry is also in the running for a possible secretary of state.

Rice appeared on Sunday talk shows five days after the Benghazi assault, in which ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died, and she has been accused by Republicans of misleading the public.

During the shows, Rice, using talking points provided by the CIA, said it was the government’s “best assessment” that the assault appeared to have started with a “spontaneous” reaction against an amateur anti-Muslim video.

In a statement after Tuesday’s meeting, Rice admitted for the first time that the intelligence community talking points “were incorrect in a key respect: there was no protest or demonstration in Benghazi.”

“While we certainly wish that we had had perfect information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the intelligence assessment has evolved,” she said.

AFP