Ben Rhodes, the US deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, told Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane on Wednesday the US was committed to the defence of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries but a formal treaty would not happen in the near future.
"A treaty is not what we're looking for. It took decades to build NATO and the Asian allies but we can provide clear assurances that we will come to their defence," Rhodes said, alluding to a prospective alliance with the Gulf countries.
The comments came a day before US President Barack Obama meets leaders of the GCC at a summit at Camp David in Maryland.
Gulf and US leaders are expected to address the former's security concerns, with tensions heightened between the regional powers because of Iran's support for Houthi fighters in Yemen and the Assad government in Syria.
An Arab military coalition has launched air strikes in Yemen to halt a Houthi offensive and restore the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Both Saudi Arabia and Qatar also back Syrian fighters battling to overthrow the Iranian-backed Syrian government.
The countries are expected to press the US for a written commitment to defend them in case of an Iranian attack.
In a related development, Iran has announced it is sending an aid ship to Yemen, prompting a fresh war of words with the US.
Iranian Brigadier-General Masoud Jazayeri warned the US against stopping the ship, after the US said it was tracking its movements.
Jazayeri said that if Saudi Arabia or the US "continue to create obstacles on Iran's aid delivery, a fire might start that would definitely be out of their control"............http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/rules-gulf-treaty-arab-150513194012726.html
14/5/15
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Gulf rulers meet Obama at Camp David summit...
ReplyDeletePresident Barack Obama and leaders from six Gulf nations gathered at Camp David on Thursday in an effort to work through tensions sparked by the U.S. bid for a nuclear deal with Iran.
Obama is seeking to reassure the Gulf leaders that his country’s overtures to Iran will not come at the expense of commitments to their security.
On the sidelines of the summit, a White House spokesperson said that the White House was open to the idea of granting its Gulf Cooperation Council partners major non-NATO ally status.
But talks at the Camp David summit have been focused more on public assurances about help the U.S. can provide with security, Ben Rhodes said.....http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/14/Gulf-rulers-meet-Obama-at-Camp-David-summit.html
14/5/15
The White House said on Thursday that it was open to the idea of granting its Gulf Cooperation Council partners major non-NATO ally status...
ReplyDeleteBut talks at the Camp David summit have been focused more on public assurances about help the U.S. can provide with security, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said.
Reuters
dailystar.com.lb
President Barack Obama vowed on Thursday to back Gulf allies against any “external attack,” seeking to reassure them of Washington commitment to their security amid Arab anxiety over U.S.-led efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran...
ReplyDeleteObama, hosting the GCC states for a rare summit at the Camp David presidential retreat, pledged that the United States would cooperate with them to address what he called Iran’s “destabilizing activities in the region.”
“The United States will stand by our GCC partners against external attack and will deepen and extend cooperation that we have,” Obama told reporters, with Gulf leaders standing by his side at the end of the talks.
Obama promised a “concrete series of steps” from the one-day summit as he sought to allay Gulf Arab fears that the potential lifting of international sanctions on Tehran would embolden it in the region and raise the risk of more sectarian strife.....alarabiya.net