Japan PM Abe Meets With Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Zayed On Trip to Diffuse Gulf Tensions

Footage provided by Emirates News Agency shows Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Abu Dhabi, Monday, January 13, as part of a Middle Eastern tour aimed at defusing tensions in the Gulf.
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READ MORE: Abe, who flew in from Saudi Arabia, was welcomed by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed at Qasr al-Watan.

He is expected to travel to Oman after his visit to the United Arab Emirates.

A Japanese foreign ministry official said Monday Japan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE should work together to de-escalate the tense situation in the Gulf, relaying comments by Abe.

The official said Japan has a strong relationship with both the United States and Iran and was in a position to play a diplomatic role in defusing regional tensions.

Abe’s visit coincides with the deployment of Japanese warships to the region and comes amidst heightened security tensions following the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by a U.S. air strike on January 3.

A flurry of diplomatic visits and meetings crisscrossing the Persian Gulf have driven urgent efforts in recent days to defuse the possibility of all-out war after the U.S. killed Iran’s top military commander.

Global leaders and top diplomats are repeating the mantra of “de-escalation” and “dialogue,” yet none have publicly laid out a path to achieving either.

The United States and Iran have said they do not want war, but fears have grown that the crisis could spin out of Tehran’s or Washington’s control. Tensions have careened from one crisis to another since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. (Reuters/AP)
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LINK: https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/voa-news-iran/high-gear-diplomacy-aims-avert-us-iran-conflict