In Riyadh, Blinken tells Gulf nations US is working to ‘widen and deepen’ normalization with Israel

By AFP 7 June 2023, 9:05 pm

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Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, right, escorts US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, as they arrive for a meeting with GCC Ministers at the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh on June 7, 2023. (Ahmed Yosri/Pool/AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh that the US is working to deepen normalization efforts between Arab nations and Israel.

“Together, we are working to achieve a… resolution to the conflict in Yemen,” and to “continue to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior,” including recent seizures of tankers in international waters, Blinken tells the GCC ministers.

“We are determined to find a political solution in Syria that maintains its unity and sovereignty and meets the aspirations of its people,” he adds.

“We are also collaborating with countries in the region to widen and deepen the normalization of relations with Israel.”