WARSAW: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday called for a “new era of cooperation” in resolving Middle East challenges and said no country could afford to remain on the sidelines.
“The United States seeks a new era of cooperation between all of our countries on how to confront these issues,” Pompeo told foreign ministers and other officials from more than 60 countries in Warsaw.
Pompeo refrained from directly criticising Iran, instead including it in a list of regional challenges ranging from Syria and Yemen to Palestinian-Israeli peace.
“None of the region’s challenges will solve themselves. We must work together for security,” he said. “No country can afford to remain on the sidelines.”
Major European powers sent low-level representation to the US-initiated meeting, suspicious of US President Donald Trump’s impulses, who withdrew from an international accord on curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme.
US PROMOTES PEACE PLAN
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, made a rare public appearance to brief countries on plans for an elusive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
He plans to present a package after Israel holds elections on April 9.
A senior European official who listened to the closed-door presentation was underwhelmed.
“Nothing new at all. It is obvious that everybody is now waiting for the outcome of Israeli elections,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Palestinian Authority says it can no longer trust the United States as a broker after Trump in 2017 recognised Jerusalem — holy to the three major monotheistic religions — as Israel’s capital.
US Vice President Mike Pence, who also attended the meeting, said that the United States wanted a “lasting peace” but that it “will never fail to stand with our ally Israel”. — Agencies
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