Parents of detained journalist Austin Tice urge Trump to talk directly with Syrian regime
The new plea from Marc and Debra Tice comes on the heels of John Bolton's allegations that he and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thought it was a bad idea for President Trump to engage with his Syrian counterpart.
The parents of Austin Tice, a freelance journalist missing in Syria, urged the Donald Trump administration to talk directly with the Syrian regime about their son after John Bolton’s recent memoir alleged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo disapproved of the president’s plan to do so.
“We continue to walk the labyrinth of bureaucracy in which the President is calling for engagement, and the State Department maintains an unyielding stance of non-engagement with Syria,” Marc and Debra Tice told Al-Monitor in emailed comments.
Writing in The Washington Post’s press freedom newsletter on Monday, the Tices explained further: “President Trump is committed to bring Austin home. He has spoken out publicly and reached out personally to Syria. … Even so, the Secretary of State did not proceed with discussing US hostages with Syria according to John Bolton’s book."
“Direct dialogue between the US and Syria is the channel for Austin’s release,” they said.
