Kerry in Mideast to discuss Iran nuclear deal, Syria

Kerry in Mideast to discuss Iran nuclear deal, Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net -

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry headed to the Middle East on Friday, July 31, for security talks in Egypt and discussions in Qatar with Arab foreign ministers whose countries are wary of the nuclear deal struck with Iran, the Associated Press reports.

He will not visit Israel, America's foremost Mideast ally and the primary foreign opponent of the Iran agreement.

U.S. officials rejected suggestions that Kerry's omission of Israel from the itinerary signaled that the Obama administration had given up trying to convince Israeli leaders of the merits of the Iran deal. They noted that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had visited the Jewish state in mid-July and that contacts with Israeli officials continue to be robust.

The last time Kerry spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on July 16, two days after the Iran deal was concluded.

Officials said the Iran-related portion of the trip was primarily designed to follow-up on a May meeting that President Barack Obama hosted for Arab leaders at Camp David at which the U.S. promised them enhanced security cooperation and expedited defense sales to guard against a potential Iranian threat.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Kerry's trip publicly, said the talks in Qatar would take stock of progress made on those goals, particularly since the Iran deal was signed, according to the AP.

One U.S. official said Kerry would use the meeting with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council to "try to respond to any remaining questions they might have, hopefully satisfy them and ensure that they are supporting our effort going forward."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq in a similar tour earlier this week to talk to his counterparts about the Iran deal.

Saudi Arabia is the largest and most influential member of the council and has been publicly supportive of the Iran deal, albeit with reservations. Just this week, the State Department authorized the sale to Saudi Arabia of $5.4 billion in Patriot missiles and related equipment along with $500 million in ammunition.

In addition to Iran, Kerry and the Arab ministers are expected to look closely at the situation in Syria and Iraq, which continue to be ravaged by conflict and the spread of the Islamic State extremist group, the officials said. Kerry has said he plans to meet separately in Doha with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss Syria, Iran and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Kerry's first stop will be in Cairo, where he will participate Sunday in a strategic dialogue with Egyptian officials that has been on hiatus because of political unrest since 2009. Despite continuing human rights concerns, the Obama administration is increasing military assistance to Egypt as it confronts growing threats from extremists, particularly on the Sinai peninsula.

The U.S. announced this week it would be delivering eight F-16 warplanes to Egypt on Friday as part of an ongoing military support package to help the Egyptians combat terrorism. Four more F-16s are to be delivered this fall.

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