U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Thursday for a new era of cooperation on the Middle East and said no country could afford to stay on the sidelines in tackling regional challenges such as Iran, Syria, Yemen and Israeli-Palestinian peace.
Speaking to foreign ministers and other officials from more than 60 countries in Warsaw, Pompeo refrained from directly criticizing Iran and instead included it in a list of Middle East challenges, while acknowledging differences among countries on all of the issues.
Pompeo spoke amid tensions with the European Union over Washington's decision to pull out of world powers' 2015 nuclear deal with Iran deal and its announcement to withdraw troops from Syria.
European allies of Washington have voiced concern that the conference would turn into an Iran-bashing session and increase tensions with the Islamic Republic, which has lambasted the gathering as a "desperate circus."
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters