The upcoming Middle East conference jointly organized by the United States and Poland in Warsaw will not focus solely on Iran and will instead address a wide range of issues, a senior US administration official told reporters on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2019) The upcoming middle East conference jointly organized by the United States and Poland in Warsaw will not focus solely on Iran and will instead address a wide range of issues, a senior US administration official told reporters on Monday."This has been a ministerial on the Middle East. The agenda has always been very broad to cover the most pressing issues in the region," the official said. "It's important to underscore that this is not an anti-Iran meeting or coalition building exercise. From the start, this ministerial has been focused on exploring a range of issues important to the region security and prosperity. "
The official said participants at the conference would address a wide range of issues, including missile development in the region, the threat of terrorism and extremism, humanitarian issues and cyber security, among other topics.
The official stressed, however, that although Iran is not a specific agenda item, US Secretary Mike Pompeo would certainly address US concerns regarding "Iran's destructive policies in the region."
"It's not possible to discuss, have any conversation about Middle East without having some reference to Iran," the official said. "But that doesn't make it an Iran ministerial and it never has."
The official also said that Poland and the United States are very pleased with both the level of attendance and number of attendees.
Earlier in January, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the United States would convene an international summit in Poland on February 13-14 to discuss the Middle East, saying the summit would focus on Iran's influence in the region.
Russia and several European countries said they would skip the conference, citing concerns that it would serve as a forum for criticizing Iran.
For instance, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said earlier in January that she would not be able to attend the Middle East ministerial meeting.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that Russia would not attend the Warsaw conference. It said the conference was being prepared hastily, without account for the opinion of influential countries in the Middle East and outside the region, adding that the conference agenda failed to cover all problems of the region, in particular, the Israeli-Arab conflict.
�Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told the United Nations Security Council that Russia had decided not to attend the gathering because it would be "counterproductive" due to its excessive focus on Iran. He also underlined the need for a "genuine security architecture" in the Middle East.
Last May, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal, and would reimpose sanctions against Tehran.
Since withdrawing from the accord, the Trump administration has taken an increasingly hard line on Iran and has stepped up its effort to combat what it calls the Islamic Republic's "malign" influence across the Middle East.
