US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has discussed the situation in Syria and the need to achieve political settlement to the Yemeni conflict with Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Jubeir, Robert Palladino, the deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, said in a statement
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2019) US State Secretary Mike Pompeo has discussed the situation in Syria and the need to achieve political settlement to the Yemeni conflict with Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Jubeir, Robert Palladino, the deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, said in a statement.
Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz has also attended the meeting, which was held in the Saudi capital.
"The Secretary and the Minister discussed critical regional issues, including Iran, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Libya, and Afghanistan. The Secretary and the Minister agreed on the importance of continuing to support political progress in order to achieve peace in Yemen," Palladino's statement, released on Sunday, read.
Pompeo has also called on Riyadh to continue its investigation into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in order to bring those responsible to justice.
The state secretary and Jubeir have discussed the need for "continued regional efforts to stand against the Iranian regime's malign activity."
The meeting was held as part of Pompeo's tour across the middle East, which he started on January 8.
Khashoggi, a columnist of The Washington Post, known for his criticism of Saudi policies, went missing on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgment that the journalist had been killed inside the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from Western allies to provide explanations.
On October 26, the Saudi prosecutor general acknowledged that the journalist's murder was premeditated. However, Riyadh maintains that the killing had nothing to do with the Saudi royal family, describing it as a rogue operation.
Yemen has been gripped by a civil war between President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's government and the Shiite Houthi movement, officially known as the Ansar Allah movement, since 2015. The government is backed by the Saudi-led coalition that has been carrying out airstrikes that target areas controlled by the Houthis since March 2015.
