Joe Biden says the US “will not walk away” from the Middle East as he tries to ensure stability in a volatile corner of the globe and boost the worldwide flow of oil to reverse rising gas prices.
His remarks – delivered at the Gulf Co-operation Council summit of Arab leaders in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, on the final leg of a four-day trip – came as the region braces for a potential confrontation with Iran.
“We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran,” the US president said on Saturday.
“We will seek to build on this moment with active, principled, American leadership.”
Although US forces continue to target terrorists in the region and remain at bases throughout the Middle East, Biden suggested he was turning the page after the country’s invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Today, I’m proud to be able to say that the eras of land wars in the region, wars that involved huge numbers of American forces, is not under way,” he said.
He also pressed his counterparts, many of whom lead repressive governments, to ensure human rights, including women’s rights, and to allow their citizens to speak openly.
Read the article in the Cowra Guardian (AAP).