WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Saudi Arabia next week as part of a Middle East tour to discuss the war in Yemen, Iran and Syria.
The State Department said Pompeo will visit eight countries in the region, starting with Jordan and ending in Kuwait.
Pompeo will underscore US support for its allies and counter-terrorism cooperation during his Middle East visit, a US official said.
The official also said that the US has no plans right now to facilitate Arab forces going into Syria.
It will be Pompeo’s first trip to the region since President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he intends to withdraw US forces from Syria. That decision, which led Jim Mattis to step down as defense secretary, as well as the Trump administration’s hard line on Iran is expected to dominate Pompeo’s agenda during the trip.
The visit will be from Jan. 8 to Jan. 15 and will include Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
