Blinken reportedly delaying ME trip due to ‘uncertainty'
Aug 13, 2024 18:34:28 GMT -5
Post by shalom on Aug 13, 2024 18:34:28 GMT -5
Blinken reportedly delaying Middle East trip due to ‘uncertainty about the situation’
(August 13, 2024 / JNS)
First Axios reported that Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, was slated to depart on Tuesday for a trip to Israel, Egypt and Qatar. Then, Axios said, citing two unnamed sources, the trip was scrapped.
“Secretary of State Blinken has delayed his trip to the Middle East and won’t travel to the region tonight as planned due to the uncertainty about the situation, per two sources,” wrote Barack Ravid, a political reporter at the online outlet.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who was asked about the Middle East on Tuesday, “said he saw some linkage between the ceasefire effort in Gaza and Iran’s threat to retaliate,” per the pool report. “He said he’s not giving up on reaching a ceasefire deal.”
“It’s getting harder,” Biden said of the deal, according to the pool report. “I’m not giving up.”
“We’ll see what Iran does,” Biden added, per the pool. “We’ll see what happens.” The pool reporter asked the president if he expects Iran to hold off on attacking Israel—as it said it will—until a deal is reached. “That’s my expectation,” Biden said, per the pool.
‘Continuing to echo the same message’
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman at the U.S. State Department, was also asked about Blinken’s trip during the department’s press briefing on Tuesday. “What does he hope to achieve this time around that he was not able to achieve in the past eight trips?” Patel was asked.
“I don’t have any travel for Secretary Blinken to preview at the moment,” Patel replied. “What I can say is that as it relates to the Middle East region, the secretary is laserly focused and engaged on the region through calls with his counterparts, through calls with other leaders.”
“He has been working the phones for the past number of weeks, continuing to echo the same message, which is we are close to getting this ceasefire deal across the finish line, and it is vital for the release of the remaining hostages, including American citizens,” Patel said.
“It is vital for a surge in humanitarian assistance, which we believe will help alleviate the suffering that we’re seeing in Gaza, and it is vital for—to help get this region out of this endless cycle of violence,” Patel said. “He made that clear to a number of counterparts that he’s spoken to in the past few days, and I expect those kinds of conversations and diplomacy to continue.”
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(August 13, 2024 / JNS)
First Axios reported that Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, was slated to depart on Tuesday for a trip to Israel, Egypt and Qatar. Then, Axios said, citing two unnamed sources, the trip was scrapped.
“Secretary of State Blinken has delayed his trip to the Middle East and won’t travel to the region tonight as planned due to the uncertainty about the situation, per two sources,” wrote Barack Ravid, a political reporter at the online outlet.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who was asked about the Middle East on Tuesday, “said he saw some linkage between the ceasefire effort in Gaza and Iran’s threat to retaliate,” per the pool report. “He said he’s not giving up on reaching a ceasefire deal.”
“It’s getting harder,” Biden said of the deal, according to the pool report. “I’m not giving up.”
“We’ll see what Iran does,” Biden added, per the pool. “We’ll see what happens.” The pool reporter asked the president if he expects Iran to hold off on attacking Israel—as it said it will—until a deal is reached. “That’s my expectation,” Biden said, per the pool.
‘Continuing to echo the same message’
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman at the U.S. State Department, was also asked about Blinken’s trip during the department’s press briefing on Tuesday. “What does he hope to achieve this time around that he was not able to achieve in the past eight trips?” Patel was asked.
“I don’t have any travel for Secretary Blinken to preview at the moment,” Patel replied. “What I can say is that as it relates to the Middle East region, the secretary is laserly focused and engaged on the region through calls with his counterparts, through calls with other leaders.”
“He has been working the phones for the past number of weeks, continuing to echo the same message, which is we are close to getting this ceasefire deal across the finish line, and it is vital for the release of the remaining hostages, including American citizens,” Patel said.
“It is vital for a surge in humanitarian assistance, which we believe will help alleviate the suffering that we’re seeing in Gaza, and it is vital for—to help get this region out of this endless cycle of violence,” Patel said. “He made that clear to a number of counterparts that he’s spoken to in the past few days, and I expect those kinds of conversations and diplomacy to continue.”
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