2024-01-07 21:40:39
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned today that the war in the Gaza Strip could spread “easily” in the Middle East and asked to focus efforts on ensuring that the conflict “do not expand” since it is about “a matter of global concern.”
“This is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and suffering. From day one, we have been intensely focused on working to prevent the conflict from spreading,” Blinken said at a press conference from Doha, within the framework of a new tour of the Middle East.
Three months after the start of the war in Gaza, on October 7, the American stated that “this is a moment of deep tension in the region,” precisely the concern that has motivated him to make his fourth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the conflict.
In this sense, he indicated that Qatar and the United States share the commitment to use their “influence, relationships and ties” with different parties “to avoid escalation and deter new fronts” of war, since “it is not only a regional issue, but a “a matter of global concern.”
Blinken, who avoided the exchange of fire between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and the attacks by Iraqi pro-Iran militias against US positions in Iraq and Syria, He focused his speech against the Houthi rebels in Yemen and their attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
The American alleged that these attacks are “directly affecting the citizens, cargo and commercial interests of more than 40 countries”while he assured that they caused the interruption or diversion of almost 20% of global maritime transport.
Likewise, he denounced that more than a dozen shipping companies have been forced to divert “thousands of ships” through the Cape of Good Hope, despite the fact that this represents delays and increases transportation costs.
“These Houthi attacks are harming people around the world, especially the poor and vulnerable populations, including in Yemen and Gaza“said Blinken, who thus defended the international naval alliance led by the United States in the Red Sea to confront these actions.
“We will continue to defend maritime security in the region as part of our overall effort to deter and prevent,” declared the American.
For his part, the Qatari Foreign Minister, Mohamed bin Abderrahman, condemned the Houthi attacks, which he described as “unacceptable” and recalled that since the beginning of the war in Gaza he has warned of a possible spread of the conflict, for which he urged “work together” to prevent it.
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