AMMAN - Recent suggestions that the US may step up military aid to Arab Gulf countries will have no impact on military assistance to Jordan, US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates said on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference at the US embassy in Amman following a meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah, the US official said that regardless of any bilateral or multilateral deals the US may make in the region, there will not be any reduction in what Jordan receives in military assistance.
The remarks came in response to a question regarding a recent statement by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the US would consider establishing a "defence umbrella" in cooperation with its allies in the Arab Gulf if Iran refuses to give up its nuclear activities.
She also spoke of stepped-up military aid to Arab states in the Gulf.
Jordan receives around $360 million in US economic assistance and $300 million in military assistance on average annually, according to official US figures.
At the meeting with Gates yesterday, King Abdullah reviewed regional developments, stressing the significant US role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the two-state solution and in accordance with international resolutions, especially the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
The King said that finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue that leads to the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the Palestinian national soil is the key to bringing about stability and security in the Middle East, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
Discussions also covered means to enhance bilateral ties, especially in the field of defence.
Gates also met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff General Khaled Sarayreh to discuss means to bolster ties between the two countries' armed forces and issues of mutual concern.
At the press conference, the US official highlighted the strong friendship and partnership between Jordan and the US, commending the Kingdom's leading role in efforts to realise peace, support the Palestinian Authority and help Iraq reengage with its neighbours.
On Iran, he cautioned that the US is ready to impose additional sanctions on the country if it does not respond to the US offer of dialogue.
Also on Monday, Gates tried to reassure Israel that Washington's bid to talk Iran into giving up nuclear work was time-sensitive and worth pursuing, despite Tehran's reticence.
President Barack Obama has put the quest for engagement with Iran at the core of US foreign policy. Israel, which says a nuclear-armed Iran would threaten its survival, has hinted at preemptive strikes should it deem diplomacy at a dead end.
A statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he reaffirmed in his talks with Gates "the need to use all means to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear military capability".
"Gates said the United States and Israel see eye-to-eye with regard to the Iranian nuclear threat," the statement said.
During a visit to Israel, Gates affirmed Obama's hope for an Iranian response to the US overtures in time for the UN General Assembly in late September.
Obama has also warned Tehran that the United States would not abide endless talks, saying he would like to see progress by year's end.
"I think, based on the information that's available to us, that the timetable that the president has laid out still seems to be viable and does not significantly increase the risks to anybody," Gates told reporters at a news conference with his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.
Netanyahu's office said Gates explained to the Israeli leader, whom he met after his talks with Barak, that the US policy of engagement with Iran was "limited in time".
Gates said he had every sense that Israel would go along with the US strategy, "as long as the process is not completely open-ended".
Iran says that its uranium enrichment - a process with bomb-making potential - is for energy. It has rejected US-led demands to curb the programme. This, along with the fiercely anti-Israel rhetoric from Tehran, has stirred up war fears.
Barak endorsed the US strategy on Iran but said any negotiations should be kept to a tight schedule and girded by readiness to impose tougher UN sanctions.
He also kept open the possibility that Israel, widely believed to be the Middle East's sole nuclear power, could attack the Iranians preemptively - a region-rattling scenario that finds little public favour in Washington.
"We clearly believe that no option should be removed from the table ... We recommend to others to take the same position but we cannot dictate it to anyone," Barak said.
Obama envoy
Special US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell on Monday pressed Israel to start "dealing" with its West Bank settlements as a step towards bringing a comprehensive peace to the Middle East.
Mitchell, making a new swing through the region, has been pushing Arab and Israeli officials to take steps that can help bring about a region-wide peace between the Arab world and Israel.
As part of those efforts, the US has called on Israel to halt construction of homes in settlements built on occupied Palestinian land. It is also demanding that Israel remove some two dozen tiny settlement outposts in the West Bank.
Mitchell pressed this message further during a meeting with Israel's ceremonial president, Shimon Peres, telling his host that Israel could improve the climate by "dealing with difficult issues like settlements and outposts." Netanyahu has rejected an absolute construction freeze, saying existing settlements must be allowed to expand to accommodate "natural growth" in their populations.
Israeli media have reported that the sides are near a compromise that would permit Israel to finish housing projects that are near completion, but refrain from launching any new construction. Netanyahu's office refused to comment on the reports. Mitchell was scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The Palestinians, encouraged by the tough US stance, have so far refused to meet with Netanyahu, demanding that he freeze all settlement activity.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Mitchell Monday evening and the two were expected to discuss the issue.
The US believes a settlement freeze would go a long way toward improving the negotiating climate. Mitchell, who arrived in Israel from Cairo, said he has been urging Arab nations to make "meaningful steps" toward normalising ties with Israel.
In Egypt, Mitchell said he plans to meet other Arab leaders "to encourage them to take genuine steps toward normalisation" of ties with Israel. He also asked Palestinians to "refrain" from "words or actions that might make meaningful and productive negotiations impossible".
After meeting with Mitchell in Cairo, Arab League Chief Amr Musa said Arab states would not take steps towards normalisation "before Israel stops its policy of settlement building".
Mitchell's swing through the region has also included a stop in Syria. He also plans to visit the Gulf state of Bahrain.
By Mohammad Ghazal
© Jordan Times 2009
