US, Saudis discuss crises
Conflicts in Yemen and Syria; threats from Iran and Khashoggi slaying top agenda
US SECRETARY of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia for talks yesterday on a range of Mideast crises, topped by the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, threats from Iran and the Saudi response to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Pompeo was meeting the Saudi king and crown prince on the latest stop of his Middle East tour, so far dominated by concerns about the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.
In Riyadh, though, the Saudi-led fight against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, deemed the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, will be a major agenda item, as well as holding perpetrators accountable for Khashoggi’s slaying, US officials said.
Speaking with senior Saudi officials on his arrival in Riyadh late on Sunday, Pompeo stressed the importance of a political solution to end Yemen’s civil war and “the need for continued regional efforts to stand against the Iranian regime’s malign activity and to advance peace, prosperity, and security,” the State Department said.
The department said Pompeo also made clear the importance of a credible investigation into Khashoggi’s killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October last year. Pompeo “emphasised the importance of Saudi Arabia continuing its investigation into theKhashoggi’s murder to ascertain facts, assess information, and hold those responsible accountable”.
The relationship between Riyadh and Washington remains tense following Khashoggi’s brutal slaying and dismemberment at the consulate. Members of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage have been implicated in the killing and US lawmakers have demanded America pull back its support of the Saudi-led war in Yemen.
“We will continue to have a conversation with the crown prince and the Saudis about ensuring that the accountability is full and complete with respect to Khashoggi,” Pompeo said in Qatar on Sunday before heading to Riyadh. “We’ll continue to talk about that and make sure we have all the facts so that they are held accountable by the Saudis, but by the US as well, where appropriate.”
The ongoing dispute between Qatar and four of America’s other close Arab partners will also feature in Pompeo’s talks as it continues to be a major hindrance in a US-led effort to unite the Gulf Arab states, Egypt and Jordan in a military alliance to counter Iran.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began a boycott of Qatar in June 2017, alleging Qatar funds extremist groups and has too cozy ties to Iran.
Qatar has long denied funding extremists, but Doha shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran that gives its citizens the highest per-capita income in the world. It restored diplomatic relations with Iran after the crisis erupted, marking a setback for Saudi Arabia, which views the Shia power Iran as its main regional rival.
A similar dispute involving Qatar erupted in 2014. But this time positions have hardened against Qatar, whose support for Islamist opposition groups has angered the Arab nations now boycotting it.
However, comments in Doha by Pompeo and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani gave no sense of any movement in the ongoing diplomatic crisis with Doha. “It’s not at all clear that the rift is any closer to being resolved today than yesterday” Pompeo said.