US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to embark on a tour of the Middle East next week, the State Department announced Friday.
Pompeo leaves on January 8 on the eight-day trip to Amman, Cairo, Manama, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh, Muscat and Kuwait City.
On his first stop, Amman, he is scheduled to meet with King Abdullah II and Jordanian officials to discuss the partnership with the US and the situation in Syria and Iraq.
On his second stop in Cairo, he will deliver a speech on the US "commitment to peace, prosperity, stability, and security in the Middle East," the department said. He will also meet with President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to discuss regional affairs and counter-terrorism efforts, especially in Sinai. They will also tackle Iranian meddling in the region and pushing forward the peace process in Yemen.
Washington is seeking to build a consensus on how to deal with Syria and its supporter Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump's announcement in December of a US troop withdrawal from the war-torn country.
It is also seeking a solution to the three-year-old war in Yemen. The warring parties there recently agreed to a ceasefire in the port city of Hodeidah, while UN envoy Martin Griffiths seeks to bring about a new round of talks between them.
In Manama, Pompeo will discuss bilateral cooperation and expanding the strategic partnership between the US and Bahrain. Counter-terrorism will be the main topic at the talks, as well as Bahrain’s efforts to confront Iran’s malicious regional behavior and meddling in its internal affairs.
In Riyadh, his fourth stop, the US official will seek to bolster American-Saudi ties and discuss bilateral relations, as well as regional affairs, including Yemen, Iran and Syria.
In Muscat, Pompeo will tackle with officials efforts to move forward the peace process in the region, including Yemen.
In his final stop in Kuwait, he will meet with senior officials to address important regional issues and the need to maintain the unity of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Pompeo will be accompanied on his trip by national security advisor John Bolton.
Bolton planned to depart Friday for Israel and Turkey, his spokesman said.
He will focus on Syria and "how the US will work with allies and partners to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, stand fast with those who fought with us against ISIS, and counter Iranian malign behavior in the region," according Garrett Marquis.
Bolton was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before being joined in Turkey by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford. They are expected to pressure Turkish officials not to launch an offensive targeting Kurdish fighters in Syria.
