Kerry Arrives in Qatar to Assure Gulf Allies over Iran Deal/Gulf ministers, Kerry discuss Iran deal in Doha

Gulf ministers, Kerry discuss Iran deal in Doha
Al Arabiya News, The Associated Press/Monday, 3 August 2015/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry brought the Obama administration’s case for the Iran nuclear deal to wary Arab officials in Qatar on Monday. Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir led the Saudi delegation participating in a pre-summit meeting on Sunday which was chaired by Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Khalid Bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, and attended by the GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani. The GCC-U.S. meeting discussed a number of regional issues, including the nuclear deal between P5+1 and Iran, signed in July. Opening the meeting, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiya said the gathering was being held in “very exceptional circumstances and challenges that have been unprecedented.”

 “We are facing many challenges in our communities and we are aiming to achieve peace and security and stability with the help of the United States,” he said. He stressed the importance of keeping the region free “of any threats of nuclear weapons” and “the importance of the use of nuclear energy and technology for peaceful purposes” only. Al-Attiya spoke of the urgency of resolving the crises in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, but also complained that “the Middle East is suffering from the failures of the peace process due to the Israeli occupation” of Palestinian land. He accused Israel of “intransigence” in dealing with the Palestinians and said it must end its “illegal blockade of Gaza.”

“We call on the United States of America to exert more efforts to go back to the peace process,” he said before journalists were ushered out of the room. Kerry did not speak while reporters were present. He arrived in the Qatari capital on Sunday after visiting Egypt, where he also spoke in favor of the agreement reached with Iran last month in Vienna. Gulf Arab states fear Iran’s increasing assertiveness in the region. In Cairo, Kerry acknowledged Iran’s negative role but said it would be easier to deal with if Tehran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. “Iran is engaged in destabilizing activities in the region – and that is why it is so important to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains wholly peaceful,” he told reporters at news conference with Egypt’s foreign minister.

“There can be absolutely no question that the Vienna plan, if implemented, will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be.” Kerry’s meetings with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Doha on Monday are a 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. Kerry’s visit to Qatar follows one last week by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who also stopped in Kuwait and Iraq. 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 ISIS extremist group, as well as Yemen. (With AP)

Kerry Arrives in Qatar to Assure Gulf Allies over Iran Deal
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/03 August/15/U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Gulf Arab counterparts for talks in Qatar Monday as he attempts to ease the concerns of key allies over the Iran nuclear deal. On the latest leg of a regional tour, Kerry was to hold discussions with his six counterparts from the Sunni-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council in a bid to allay fears about Shiite Iran after the nuclear deal. “This is an opportunity, really, for the secretary to do a deep dive with the GCC foreign ministers to try to respond to any remaining questions that they might have and hopefully to satisfy them and ensure that they’re supporting our effort going forward,” a State Department official said.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Gulf Arab states have raised concerns about Iran’s regional ambitions following the recent accord in Vienna with the United States and Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia. While in Doha, Kerry is also expected to hold a three-way meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir, with discussions expected to centre on Syria. “A key topic of discussion is expected to be the ongoing crisis in Syria,” a senior State Department official said.He began his day meeting Jubeir and the Qatari Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, before heading into the scheduled talks with GCC foreign ministers.

New atmosphere
Kerry landed in Qatar on Sunday evening after a visit to Egypt, where he also sought to assure his counterpart Sameh Shoukry and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that the landmark deal would bring more security to the Middle East. “There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan is fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be or were,” Kerry told a joint news conference with Shoukry. Egypt like other regional states remains suspicious of Iran, which has backed President Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria and Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Kerry said the U.S. recognized that “Iran is engaged in destabilizing activities in the region — and that is why it is so important to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains wholly peaceful”. “If Iran is destabilizing, it is far, far better to have an Iran that doesn’t have a nuclear weapon than one that does,” he said at the Cairo press conference. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Sunday that the July 14 nuclear agreement had created better prospects for faster solutions in Syria and Yemen, two of the Middle East’s worst conflict zones. “The final solution in Yemen is political, in Syria the final solution is political,” he said. “The agreement will create a new atmosphere. The climate will be easier.”

 Strategic dialogue’ with Egypt
While in Cairo, Kerry held the first “strategic dialogue” with his Egyptian counterpart since 2009. The United States has been working to patch up troubled ties with Egypt, long a key Middle East ally, as Sisi battles an Islamic State group insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula. An Egyptian foreign ministry statement said both sides would keep cooperating closely “to improve their mutual security, to combat terrorism and extremism”. Ties between the United States and Egypt frayed after then-army chief Sisi overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. More than 1,000 of Morsi’s supporters were killed in a sweeping crackdown and militants have since killed hundreds of soldiers and police.
Most of the attacks have been by the Egyptian affiliate of the jihadist IS, which a US-led coalition is battling in Syria and Iraq.
Washington froze arms deliveries to Cairo following the crackdown on Morsi’s supporters, but resumed full aid in March and delivered a batch of F-16 jets last week.

 “We have significantly increased military cooperation as seen from the delivery of the F-16s, other equipment and goods which are very essential in the fight against terrorism,” Kerry said.  But the top US diplomat also spoke of the need for a “balance” between fighting militants and respecting human rights in Egypt.
Kerry’s Middle East trip does not include Israel, a fierce critic of the nuclear deal.