Washington: Riyadh Summit Sends Clear Message on Importance of Regional Stability

Gulf

December 18th, 8:06am

Washington - Elie Youssef

Leaders of the delegations of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in a group photo on the occasion of the recent Riyadh Summit (SPA)

US President Joe Biden’s policies focus on strengthening US partnerships in the region to promote peaceful solutions, a prominent White House official announced. The official noted that Biden’s strategies follow two decades of extensive studies of the Middle East region post the September 11 attacks and the policies for regime change, the spreading of democracy, and confronting terrorism. In a teleconference, the official praised the recent Gulf summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saying that its success sends a clear message about the importance of stability in the region. As for communication between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the official noted that Washington was “very realistic about that process.” They emphasized the importance of establishing safety forces to reduce the risk of miscalculation between Gulf states and Iran. About normalizing ties and trade relations, Iran must first go back on its policies and interventions in the region and work to de-escalate tensions. The official affirmed that Iran continues to support militias and create instability in the region. As for Saudi Arabia, he said the US remained committed to the Kingdom’s defense. “We have helped the Saudis quite a bit,” the official maintained, referencing the continued cross-border attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis from Yemen. He calculated the Saudis were defeating “9 out of 10 of those attacks” now. “We, of course, want to make sure that reaches ten of ten. That’s an awful lot of our work, day to day.” On Iraq, the US is prepared for any potential attacks on its forces in the coming months. “We anticipate, heading into the first part of next year… that some of these attacks might start up again, but we will of course be very ready for that,” the official predicted. He cited the anniversary of the killing of Iran’s Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and “a few other milestones” as serving as possible occasions for Iran-backed militias to target US interests and forces.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3365681/washington-riyadh-summit-sends-clear-message-importance-regional-stability