9:18 am ET, November 4, 2023
Blinken meets Arab foreign ministers in Jordan
From CNN’s Jennifer Hansler in Amman
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is meeting Arab officials, including several foreign ministers and Lebanon’s interim prime minister, at a summit in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Saturday to discuss the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The foreign ministers of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar, as well as the secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, are scheduled to meet Blingen, according to a statement from Jordan’s foreign ministry.
On Saturday morning, Blinken met with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikadi to discuss weeks of tensions between Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah and Israel along the Israel-Lebanon border, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the summit would focus on ending the war and “the humanitarian devastation it has caused”.
Blinken also met Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Neither spoke during a brief photo opportunity early in their meeting.
Qatar has served as a key negotiator in talks with Hamas amid conflicts in Israel and Gaza. The United States has praised Qatar for its help in freeing four hostages held by the group and partially opening the Rafah Gate between Gaza and Egypt.
