US, Poland plan meet to press Iran

ABU DHABI: The United States and Poland will hold an international meeting on the Middle East that will seek to build pressure on Iran next month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

Pompeo made the announcement on a tour of the Middle East aimed at reassuring US allies after President Donald Trump’s shock decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria, which sparked concerns among Arab states and Israel that Iran’s influence could grow.

The United States and Poland in a joint announcement said that ministers from around the world will be invited to take part in the February 13-14 meeting in Warsaw. ”We’ll bring together dozens of countries from all around the world,” Pompeo told Fox News.

They will “focus on Middle East stability, peace and freedom and security here in this region, and that includes an important element of making sure that Iran is not a destabilising influence,” the top US diplomat added.

The joint statement, however, did not explicitly mention Iran, saying that the meeting was focused on “creating a more peaceful and stable Middle East”.

“The ministerial will address a range of critical issues including terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the region,” it said.

Iran poured scorn on the meeting and pointed out that the country, then impoverished after invasion by Britain and the Soviet Union, welcomed more than 100,000 Polish refugees during World War II.