Sweden is thanked for hosting a NATO ministerial meeting, followed by emphasis that the upcoming Ankara summit will be among the most important in NATO history. Leaders will need to respond to US disappointment regarding NATO’s response to operations in the Middle East, and the issue will not be resolved at the current meeting. The United States’ global commitments require continual reassessment of troop deployment, described as an ongoing, non-punitive process. Cooperation on the defense industrial base is presented as an area with scope for work. On Iran, there is slight movement in talks with Tehran, but fundamentals remain unchanged: Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon. The US must address highly enriched uranium and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran’s proposed tolling system is rejected and a draft UN resolution is being developed with Bahrain.
"Rubio begins with thanks to Sweden for hosting the ministerial meeting. But that's where the niceties end as says the upcoming Ankara summit will be one of the more important leaders' summit in the history of Nato, as the leaders will have to respond to Trump's disappointment with the alliance's response to our operations in the Middle East. That will have to be addressed, that won't be solved or addressed today. That's something for the leaders level to discuss."
"He notes the US announcement on Poland, but adds the United States continues to have global commitments that it needs to meet in terms of our force deployment, and that constantly requires us to reexamine where we put troops. This is not a punitive thing, it's just something that's ongoing, and it was pre-existing, he says. He says there's plenty of scope to work with Nato on defence industrial base."
"Rubio then goes into Iran in a bit more detail, saying there has been some slight progress in talks with Teheran. I don't want to exaggerate it, but there's been a little bit of movement, and that's good. The fundamentals remain the same. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, it just cannot. He says the US needs to address the issue of the highly enriched uranium, and restore the freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormuz."
"Iran is trying to create a tolling system. They're trying to convince Oman, by the way, to join them in this tolling system in an international waterway. There is not a country in the world that should accept that. He says the the US has a draft UN resolution it's working on with Bahrain, with the highest number of co-sponsors of any r"
Read at www.theguardian.com
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