The US Secretary of State called the conference on conflicts in the Middle East, which is currently taking place in Warsaw, historic. Diplomats from 60 states gathered in the Polish capital. Among them are representatives of the United States, Israel and several dozen Arab countries.
“Arab and Israeli leaders were in the same room, sharing bread, exchanging glances. They all came here with one goal — to discuss threats to our peoples who come from the Middle East,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaking of the conference objectives.
Before the main discussion started, the list of threats was presented by both the US Secretary of State and his Polish counterpart Jacek Czaputowicz. The main theme of the meeting is the war in Syria and Yemen, which caused a wave of refugees. They will also discuss the danger of the proliferation of atomic weapons, threats emanating from cyberspace, and countering the financing of terrorism. The Polish Foreign Minister spoke about Iran separately.
“We unequivocally condemn Iran’s inadmissible actions outside its country’s borders, including Europe, to which the European Union responded with additional sanctions. The difference between us (the US and the European Union — Belsat.eu) may lie in the methods,” said Jacek Czaputowicz.
Mike Pompeo used even stronger words as he spoke about Iran with reporters before the meeting.
“It is impossible to achieve peace in the Middle East without opposition to Iran,” the Secretary of State stressed. He recalled that Tehran supports the Yemeni insurgents of Huthi, the Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, the radical movements of Hezbollah and Hamas.
Before the conference, the hosts of the meeting stated that it would not have an anti-Iranian character. However, experts and diplomats informally said that the creation of an anti-Iranian coalition was the main goal of the conference in Warsaw. The US is reducing its presence in the Middle East and wants to shift the responsibility of containing Iran to its allies.
The Israeli Prime Minister left no doubts about this before the start of the talks.
“The Israeli Prime Minister and the foreign ministers of many Arab countries united and spoke out unusually clearly and strongly against the general threat of the Iranian regime,” said Benjamin Netanyahu.
While an anti-Iranian coalition united around the United States and Israel is being created in Warsaw, their opponents are gathering over 2,000 kilometers away in Russian Sochi. The future of Syria after the withdrawal of American troops is discussed by the presidents of Russia, Turkey, and Iran.
Alyaksandr Papko, Warsaw, photo by author/Belsat.eu
