Rubio from Kuwait Says USA Exercises Pressure on UAE and others to end the current situation in Sudan

Sudanhiorizon – Agencies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged, perhaps in one of the few occasions publicly, that his country is pressuring the United Arab Emirates regarding its stance vis-a-vis the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. He made this admission in response to a question upon departing Kuwait on Wednesday, which he visited as part of a Gulf tour following his trip to the UAE.
In response to a direct question from a journalist, as published by the US State Department on its website this on Thursday, regarding whether the US had pressured the UAE to stop supporting the RSF, especially given the siege of Al-Obied, Rubio said: “Well, we have pressured all parties!”
It is noteworthy that the brief statement preceding Rubio’s Gulf tour did not mention the war in Sudan when discussing his meetings with UAE leaders. Instead, it addressed general topics related to Gulf security and the agreement with Iran. However, journalists sought specific answers regarding Sudan.

The journalist asked: “May I ask a question about Sudan, sir?” You were recently in the UAE. Was the issue of Sudan raised? Rubio replied, “Yes, it always comes up.”

The journalist followed up with another question: In your discussions with Emirati officials, did you press the UAE to stop supporting the Rapid Support Forces, especially given the siege of El Obeid?

The minister then said, “Well, we have pushed all parties.” He added, he said they have gained significant momentum since the Berlin Conference regarding some of the agreements reached. Now they need to ensure they are upheld. He said they continue to communicate with their special envoy, Massad Boulos, who is following up on this daily. He stressed they will raise the issue again tomorrow whenever they have the opportunity, as the Saudis will also be present. He concluded by saying they are raising it with all relevant parties or those with connections to the parties on the ground
The minister added that his country wants to see a ceasefire, along with the opening of humanitarian corridors to deliver aid, and ultimately seeks to achieve lasting peace. He emphasized that their top priority is to stop the fighting and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, because the humanitarian situation faced catastrophic and will only get worse. “This is unacceptable.”
The Secretary then added that they had not only exerted pressure but had consistently raised the issue. “So we continued to exert pressure—I don’t even use the term ‘pressure’—we continued to raise this issue with all countries, especially the other three or four countries we deal with that have influence over the parties on the ground.”
It is worth noting that the US Secretary of State is currently on a tour of the Gulf states and is participating on Thursday in Bahrain in a meeting that includes the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and their American counterparts.

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