By Canadian Press

Weather in Toronto delays Freeland’s arrival in Washington for ISIL meeting

Feb 6, 2019 | 12:14 PM

WASHINGTON — Weather in Toronto has thrown a wrench in the foreign-affairs minister’s plans for an international gathering in Washington where world leaders are talking about the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

Chrystia Freeland had been scheduled to attend events throughout the day at the State Department meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, but flight delays kept her away from the morning plenary session, as well as the group photo with leaders from the 79-member coalition.

A spokesman for Freeland says she is attending today’s working lunch, as well as this afternoon’s speech by President Donald Trump, before heading to Capitol Hill for a meeting with the chairman of the Senate foreign-relations committee.

The U.S.-led coalition is wrestling with Trump’s plan to pull troops out of Syria, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is insisting the administration will not abdicate its leadership role.

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Trump has suggested he wants to continue to use U.S. resources in Iraq to monitor the situation in Syria, and that American assets can be quickly mobilized if a return to the country is necessary.

Pompeo says U.S. tactics may have changed, but the mission to eradicate the group, which is variously also known as ISIL, ISIS and Daesh, has not.

The Canadian Press