Nancy Pelosi leads 'bipartisan' delegation to Jordan for discussions on Syria crisis

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior members of Congress have held talks in Jordan with King Abdullah II just days after she clashed with President Donald Trump in a meeting on Syria policy.

Nancy Pelosi

Ms Pelosi's statement described the visiting delegation as "bipartisan," though congressman Mac Thornberry was the only Republican representative on the trip. Source: Twitter

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other senior members of Congress have held talks in Jordan with King Abdullah II and other top Jordanian officials.

Ms Pelosi said in a statement the visit was at "a critical time for the security and stability of the region... With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey's incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia".
The US delegation included the heads of key House committees including Foreign Affairs committee chairman Eliot Engel, Homeland Security Committee chairman Bennie Thompson, Intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff and Representative Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

The delegation also met Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and other senior Jordanian officials.

"We expressed our continued appreciation for the strategic partnership between the US and Jordan and engaged in a constructive dialogue on regional stability, counter-terrorism, security cooperation, Middle East peace, economic development and other shared challenges," Ms Pelosi said.

Ms Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called an agreement between the United States and Turkey on a pause in Ankara's offensive in northeastern Syria a "sham."

The agreement "seriously undermines the credibility of America's foreign policy and sends a dangerous message to our allies and adversaries alike that our word cannot be trusted. President Erdogan has given up nothing, and President Trump has given him everything," Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer said in a statement.
Congress's top Democrats said the House of Representatives would vote on a bipartisan sanctions package against Turkey in the coming days.

The offensive has already killed more than 500 people, including dozens of civilians, while some 300,000 civilians have been displaced within Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

More than 650,000 Syrian refugees are registered with the UNHCR in Jordan, which shares a 370-kilometre border with Syria.


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2 min read
Published 21 October 2019 7:00am
Updated 21 October 2019 7:44am
Presented by AFP-SBS
Source: AFP, SBS


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