Kerry to tell Gulf states U.S. will work to ‘push back’ against IranJuly 22, 2015 - 15:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will seek to reassure Gulf Arab officials at a meeting in Qatar soon that Washington will work with them to "push back" against Iranian influence in the region, he told the pan-Arab newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, according to Reuters. Most U.S. allies in the energy-rich Gulf publicly welcomed a deal between world powers and Tehran over its disputed nuclear program, but they accuse Tehran of interfering in Arab conflicts and pushing hard for heightened regional influence. "I will be traveling to Doha in the next couple of weeks to meet with the whole (Gulf Cooperation Council)," Kerry told the paper in an interview published on Wednesday, July 22. He was referring to a group of countries comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. "I think we can persuade them both that by being more effective in our counter-push as well as through the restraints we have, they will be significantly strengthened going forward." Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told supporters on Saturday that U.S. policies in the region were "180 degrees" opposed to Iran's and his country would continue to back its allies in Arab states. Kerry told Al Arabiya television he found those comments disturbing and troubling. Few of America's friends in the region back the deal. Israel is implacably opposed, and Arab allies of the United States such as Saudi Arabia, ruled by Sunni Muslims, are suspicious of an arrangement that would benefit their Shi'ite, non-Arab rival Iran, which they accuse of fomenting sectarian conflict in wars in Yemen, Iraq and Syria. Kerry's diplomatic outreach follows a summit with Gulf Arab leaders called by President Barack Obama at Camp David in May, which was snubbed by the leaders of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Despite their misgivings, Kerry said, the United States aimed to convince its allies the deal was in their interests. "The whole reason for Camp David was to bring people together around in an organizational effort to push back against Iran," Kerry said, according to Reuters. "We have negotiated a nuclear deal for the simple reason that we believe if you are going to push back against Iran, it's better to push back against an Iran without a nuclear weapon than with one," he said. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom’s fixed network launches in Nor Hachn City residents will be able to use fixed-line Internet, mobile communications and television in one package at more affordable prices. Armenia to send Deputy Foreign Minister to Berlin’s Ukraine Recovery Conference Georgia will attend the forum at the level of Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, while Azerbaijan will send their Foreign Minister. About 173 million drams and more than 30 beneficiary funds. "The Power of One Dram" is 4 years old In June 2020, the exclusive joint corporate social responsibility initiative of Idram and IDBank "The Power of One Dram" was launched. CSTO budget “to be adjusted due to Yerevan’s non-payment of contributions” The CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. |