US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Edward Walker said Wednesday the United States plans a more active involvement in trying to restore calm to the Middle East, reported AFP.
He was speaking to reporters after meeting with Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Ragheb on the first leg of a regional tour that will also take him to Turkey and Syria.
The diplomat, who is also to meet with Jordanian King Abdullah II, arrived in Jordan Tuesday on a mission aimed at seeking ways to reduce tension between Israel and the Palestinians and to discuss modifying sanctions on Iraq.
The United States is "actively engaged in trying to restore calm in the region," Walker said. "We are actively engaged with the parties and eventually, we will be more engaged in the future."
Referring to his meeting with Abu Ragheb, Walker said: "We discussed how we might proceed to help to bring the situation toward peace negotiations to restore the hope of the people of the region in reaching a peace."
Walker also expressed concern about the escalation in tensions with Israel's Monday attack on a Syrian military position in Lebanon as retaliation for the weekend killing of an Israeli soldier by Hizbollah movement, said AFP.
"We are very concerned about the significant escalation in the situation there," he said, adding that "cross-border attacks tend to be the stimulant for such escalation. We hope all parties will restrain actions there."
Saying it was "very hard for parties to talk about peace when they are shooting at each other," Walker said the United States is looking for ways to get all sides back to the peace table.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Daily News reported that Walker’s visits to Jordan, Syria and Turkey is important because “these countries will play key roles in US plans to tighten controls on Iraqi imports of military goods and revenue from oil exports.”
A senior Turkish foreign ministry official said that the failure of the sanctions has been obvious.
"We will discuss the issue of 'smart sanctions' with the US official when he visits Ankara," he told the paper – Albawaba.com
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