No new initiative during Obama’s West Asia trip: White House

[1]

The Middle East trip by US President Barack Obama is not about any new initiative or announcement, the White House has said, ahead of his crucial visit to the region.

Obama arrives on his maiden visit to Israel on Wednesday next week at the start of his three-day trip that will also include the West Bank and Jordan.

“We have been very clear that this visit is not about trying to lay down a new initiative or complete our work on a particular issue,” deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters yesterday. He said, with a new government in Israel and a new government in the US, “there’s value in travelling and just having a broad strategic conversation, but one doesn’t expect to close the deal on any one major initiative”.

“But, you, on the other hand, want to begin a broad conversation about all these issues where we’re cooperating on a day-to-day basis. And there are obviously going to be significant decisions in the months and years ahead about Iran, about Syria, about Israeli-Palestinian peace,” he said responding to questions.

Noting that this is an opportunity for Obama to speak directly to the Israeli people, Rhodes said the US President has a very strong record of support for Israel and its security. Rhodes said that it is also an important time for the US President to reinforce US support for the Palestinian authority.

“The United States has made a significant investment in the Palestinian authority as the legitimate leadership of the Palestinian people. “We are very supportive of efforts, for instance, on the West Bank to develop Palestinian institutions and broaden opportunity for the Palestinian people, even as we continue to work for advancements in the peace process,” he said.

After his meetings with the Israeli and Palestine leaders, Obama will deliver a speech from the Jerusalem International Convention Center on Thursday that will focus on the nature of the ties between the US and Israel and the agenda that they work on together, he said.

“The President very much wanted to have the opportunity to speak not just to Israelis, but to Israeli young people, so we’ve worked to help build a crowd that will bring in a significant number of Israeli university students from the many universities that our embassy partners with within Israel,” he said.