+ A
A -
dpa
Cairo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged his country’s commitment to the “complete dismantling” of Islamic State, but called for more engagement from Washington’s partners in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump rattled allies in the region last month when he announced a surprise plan to pull US troops out of war-torn Syria, declaring the defeat of Islamic State there.
“The US is committed to the complete dismantling of ISIS [Islamic State],” Pompeo said in Cairo in an attempt to allay US partners’ concerns in the Middle East.
“America will not retreat until the terror fight is over,” he added in a speech at the American University in Cairo. Pompeo defended the US regional policy under Trump, saying it had learnt from past mistakes.
“In just 24 months, the United States under President Trump has reasserted its traditional role as a force for good in this region, because we’ve learned from our mistakes,” Pompeo said.
“We have rediscovered our voice. We have rebuilt our relationships.
We have rejected false overtures from enemies,” he added. “But assist is the key phrase. We ask every peace-loving nation in the Middle East to shoulder new responsibilities for defeating Islamist extremism wherever we find it,” he added.
Pompeo is currently in Egypt as part of an expansive trip of the Middle East aimed at reassuring allies that the US is committed to their security. In his speech, Pompeo blasted Iran and its allied Lebanese Hezbollah movement. “For those who fret about the use of American power, remember this: America has always been and will always be a liberating force, not an occupying power. We’ve never dreamed of domination in the Middle East. Can you say the same of the Iranian regime?” he said.
The top US diplomat warned that the US sanctions against Iran will get tougher unless Tehran changes its policies, which he said threaten the US and the international community.
Pompeo’s speech was reminiscent of a 2009 keynote address delivered in Cairo by then US president Barack Obama aimed at the time at mending Washington’s ties with the Muslim world that had been damaged under his predecessor George W Bush.
Robert Malley, a White House coordinator for the Middle East under Obama, criticised Pompeo’s speech. “Listening to Secretary Pompeo’s speech is like listening to someone from a parallel universe, in which the war in Iraq, ... US indifference to its allies’ human rights violations, or Washington’s own complicity in the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen never occurred,” added Malley, who heads the non-governmental Crisis Group based in Brussels.
Cairo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged his country’s commitment to the “complete dismantling” of Islamic State, but called for more engagement from Washington’s partners in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump rattled allies in the region last month when he announced a surprise plan to pull US troops out of war-torn Syria, declaring the defeat of Islamic State there.
“The US is committed to the complete dismantling of ISIS [Islamic State],” Pompeo said in Cairo in an attempt to allay US partners’ concerns in the Middle East.
“America will not retreat until the terror fight is over,” he added in a speech at the American University in Cairo. Pompeo defended the US regional policy under Trump, saying it had learnt from past mistakes.
“In just 24 months, the United States under President Trump has reasserted its traditional role as a force for good in this region, because we’ve learned from our mistakes,” Pompeo said.
“We have rediscovered our voice. We have rebuilt our relationships.
We have rejected false overtures from enemies,” he added. “But assist is the key phrase. We ask every peace-loving nation in the Middle East to shoulder new responsibilities for defeating Islamist extremism wherever we find it,” he added.
Pompeo is currently in Egypt as part of an expansive trip of the Middle East aimed at reassuring allies that the US is committed to their security. In his speech, Pompeo blasted Iran and its allied Lebanese Hezbollah movement. “For those who fret about the use of American power, remember this: America has always been and will always be a liberating force, not an occupying power. We’ve never dreamed of domination in the Middle East. Can you say the same of the Iranian regime?” he said.
The top US diplomat warned that the US sanctions against Iran will get tougher unless Tehran changes its policies, which he said threaten the US and the international community.
Pompeo’s speech was reminiscent of a 2009 keynote address delivered in Cairo by then US president Barack Obama aimed at the time at mending Washington’s ties with the Muslim world that had been damaged under his predecessor George W Bush.
Robert Malley, a White House coordinator for the Middle East under Obama, criticised Pompeo’s speech. “Listening to Secretary Pompeo’s speech is like listening to someone from a parallel universe, in which the war in Iraq, ... US indifference to its allies’ human rights violations, or Washington’s own complicity in the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen never occurred,” added Malley, who heads the non-governmental Crisis Group based in Brussels.
