U.S. to work with allies to counter Iran’s “malign” influence – Pompeo

The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said the United States will work with allies to counter Iran’s “malign” influence and activity in the region.

The newly-appointed U.S. official made the remarks during a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman, saying “both of our countries know the threat that Iran poses to the region.’’

“We will move forward to ensure stable and safe Middle East with Jordan as our ally and partner,’’ the U.S. official said during the news conference.

On Syria, he said the approach to address the crisis is the Geneva-based process led by the UN to achieve the political resolution and to work to continue to de-escalate the conflict.

On the recent strikes by the U.S., France and Britain on several targets in Syria, he reiterated U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks that the use of chemical weapons is intolerable and represents enormous risk to the world.

On the Palestinian issue, the U.S. official said “with respect to the two-state solution, the parties will ultimately make the decision about what the right resolution is.”

“We are certainly open to a two-party solution as a likely outcome. We certainly believe the Israelis and Palestinians need to have political engagement.

“We urge the Palestinians to return to that political dialogue,’’ he said during the news conference.

Safadi said the two-state solution faces challenges at present.

“Jordan considers the Palestinian issue the top issue in the region,’’ he added, stressing Jordan’s continued support to the two-state solution.

On Syria, Safadi reiterated Jordan’s call for a political solution that is accepted by the Syrian people, highlighting pressure on Jordan hosting a large number of Syrian refugees.

“King Abdullah II of Jordan also said during meeting with Pompeo that the two-state solution was the key to end the Palestinian Israeli conflict and attain peace in the Middle East,’’ the Jordan News Agency Petra reported.

The Jordanian leader underlined the need for intensified efforts at the regional and international levels to make a progress towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict leading to the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The king said the two-state solution was the main solution and is a strategic step to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.

Discussions also covered the crisis in Syria and the need for a political solution to preserve the unity and the territorial integrity of Syria.

King Abdullah also stressed the need to preserve the de-escalation zone created in the southeastern parts of Syria following a tripartite deal between the U.S., Russia and Jordan in 2017.

The two sides also looked into developments in the Middle East and efforts exerted to combat terrorism.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday discussed a proposal to forge a new deal on Iran nuclear activities.

According to a statement by the French presidency, Macron in a phone conversation informed Netanyahu about “steps taken’’ to make progress in dialogue over issues related to Tehran’s weapons programmes after the U.S. threatened to end the 2015 Iran deal.

Addressing security amid continued fatal clashes in the Gaza strip, the French president stressed the need to ensure regional security and avoid escalation while reiterating the need to guarantee security of Israel.

(Xinhua/NAN)