New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia

New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on the first stop of his hastily-arranged visit to the Middle East as decisions on the Iran nuclear deal and a review of the U.S. role in Syria looms large.

Secretary of State Pompeo -file photo -Courtesy Reuters

REUTER-A State Department official said the visit to Riyadh, Jerusalem, and Amman just two days after Pompeo was sworn-in as America’s top diplomat was also aimed at forging closer ties with important U.S allies in the Middle East.

Pompeo said on Friday he would discuss the future of the 2015 Iran deal in his talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump has called the nuclear agreement the “worst deal ever” and threatened to reimpose sanctions against Iran unless European allies Britain, France and Germany agree to fix it. Resuming sanctions would likely kill the deal.

Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France, which all struck the accord with Iran and the United States, see the deal as the best way to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Speaking after a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Friday, Pompeo said Trump had not taken a decision on whether to abandon the deal but was not likely to stick to it without substantial changes.

“There’s been no decision, so the team is working and I am sure we will have lots of conversations to deliver what the president has made clear,” Pompeo told a news conference.

Earlier this week French President Emmanuel Macron called on the United States not to abandon the deal, although later he acknowledged he thought Trump would pull out, based on his long opposition to it.

The Trump administration is also currently reviewing the U.S.’s role in fighting Islamic State in Syria’s seven-year conflict. Trump has also called on Gulf countries to provide funding and troops to stabilize areas once controlled by the group in Syria.

Pompeo was one of the first Trump administration officials to visit Saudi Arabia early in his tenure as CIA director.

In Riyadh, Pompeo was greeted on the tarmac by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. He is expected to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and King Salman during the visit.

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اقوام متحدہ روہنگیا مسلمانوں کے خلاف آپریشن کو "نسل کشی" تصور کرتی ہے۔

اقوام متحدہ کی سلامتی کونسل کی بنگلہ دیش کا دورہ کرنے والی ٹیم نے اتوار کو یہ عزم ظاہر کیا ہے کہ وہ لاکھوں روہنگیا مسلمانوں کی نقل مکانی سے پیدا ہونے والے بحران کے حل کے لیے بھرپور کام کرے گی۔ بنگلہ دیش میں ان پناہ گزین کیمپوں اور سرحدی علاقوں میں سات لاکھ روہنگیاؤں نے پناہ لے رکھی ہے۔ یہاں کا دورہ کرنے والے سفارتکاروں کا کہنا تھا کہ اس دورے کا مقصد صورتحال کا خود سے جائزہ لینا ہے۔ اقوام متحدہ میں روس کے سفیر دمتری پولنسکی کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ اور ان کے ہمراہ ٹیم میں شامل دیگر ارکان بحران سے چشم پوشی نہیں کریں گے۔ تاہم انھوں نے متنبہ کیا کہ اس مسئلے کا کوئی آسان حل نہیں ہے۔ سرحدی قصبے کوکس بازار میں پناہ گزین کیمپ کا دورہ کرنے کے بعد صحافیوں سے گفتگو میں ان کا کہنا تھا کہ "یہ بہت ضروری ہے کہ بنگلہ دیش اور میانمار میں آیا جائے اور ہر چیز کو خود دیکھا جائے۔ لیکن اس کا کوئی جادوئی حل نہیں، کوئی جادو کی چھڑی نہیں جس سے یہ سارے مسائل حل ہو جائیں۔" یہ ٹیم پیر کو اپنا تین روزہ دورہ مکمل کر کے میانمار کے لیے روانہ ہو جائے گی۔ میانمار سے روہنگیا مسلمانوں کا تازہ انخلا گزشتہ ...

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