US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Sunday after the occupied West Bank in the morning, while diplomatic moves continued in the region to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and consulted on the dangers of the spillover of the Israeli war on Gaza. The visit, which was revealed by the Iraqi Prime Ministry in a statement, was not announced in advance for security reasons.
The visit comes amid rocket and drone attacks targeting Iraqi military bases housing US and international coalition forces, which intensified after the start of the war on Gaza.
On his morning visit to the occupied West Bank, Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, his first visit to the West Bank since the war began on June 7.
The two sides discussed, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, "the need to stop the violence carried out by extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank," referring to settler violence.
After the West Bank, the US secretary of state travelled to Cyprus, the closest member state of the European Union to the Gaza Strip, and is expected to travel later to Turkey.
Blinken discussed with Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides the establishment of a "sea corridor" proposed by the Mediterranean island aimed at providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to the Cypriot presidency.
Mikati in Jordan
In Jordan, King Abdullah II, during a meeting with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, discussed developments in Gaza and efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict regionally.
King Abdullah stressed the need to intensify international efforts to stop the war on Gaza, prevent the expansion of the conflict, and the importance of uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and support for international relief organizations operating in the Strip.
For his part, Mikati praised Jordan's efforts under the leadership of King Abdullah in defending Arab causes and working towards peace and stability. The Jordanian statement did not specify when Mikati arrived in the kingdom or how long he would visit.
In Doha, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for an "immediate humanitarian truce". "An immediate, sustainable and lasting humanitarian truce is absolutely necessary, it must be able to lead to a ceasefire," she said after a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman.
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_: The situation in Gaza is deteriorating to worse levels and the Israeli occupation is committing genocide
đź”—Read more: https://t.co/fvhlpTiCLK #QatarForeign Affairs pic.twitter.com/KdscZR9ChR
— Qatar Foreign Ministry (@MofaQatar_AR) November 5, 2023
Turkish move
For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed with his Egyptian counterparts Sameh Shoukry and Jordanian Ayman Safadi by phone developments in the Palestinian territories.
According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Fidan discussed, in a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza continuously without interruption.
The two ministers exchanged views on what can be done to stop the aggression targeting civilians in Gaza and to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.
Fidan also discussed, in a phone call with his Jordanian counterpart, ways to stop attacks against civilians in Gaza and achieve a ceasefire in the region.
Fidan will meet his U.S. counterpart in Ankara on Monday for talks on Gaza.
At the Vatican, Pope Francesco renewed his call for an end to the war, the release of hostages and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where the situation is "extremely dangerous."
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