Nancy Pelosi led a bipartisan delegation to Jordan to talk Middle East peace amid the Syrian crisis
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a bipartisan House delegation to Jordan on Saturday to meet with a group of officials that included King Abdullah II and other top officials.
- In a statement, Pelosi said the meeting involved a "constructive dialogue on regional stability, counterterrorism, security cooperation, Middle East peace, economic development, and other shared challenges."
- Pelosi was accompanied by eight other members of the House, including Representatives Adam Schiff and Eliot Engel, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
- The meeting took place during the five-day ceasefire negotiated by the US in northern Syria, which is intended to give the Kurds a chance to retreat, after days of brutal attacks from Turkish forces and proxies.
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During Turkey's brief ceasefire in northern Syria, Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a bipartisan House delegation to Jordan to open a dialogue on peace and stability in the Middle East with King Abdullah II.
In a statement, Pelosi said it is a "critical time for the security and stability of the region," and said the delegation specifically discussed "regional stability, counterterrorism, security cooperation, Middle East peace" and "economic development."
The issues of an increased flow of refugees and the "dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran, and Russia" were also touched on as nine US officials joined with Jordan's top leaders.
The Jordanians in attendance besides King Abdullah II were his son, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and other top Jordan officials.
The members of the US House delegation were Representatives Adam Schiff, Eliot Engel (Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee), Mac Thornberry, Bennie Thompson, Ron Kind, Susan Davis, Stephen Lynch, and Elaine Luria. The meeting took place in Amman, Jordan's capital, and the delegation also met with US Marines there.
Earlier this month, it was announced that President Donald Trump wanted to pull US troops from Syria, leaving the Kurdish forces – US allies in the fight against Syria – unprotected from Turkey.
As Turkey advanced into northern Syria via proxies and with airborne weaponry, reports of human rights violations and slaughter of civilians began to emerge. Jordan borders Syria to the south, and will receive refugees displaced from the clash of Syrian, Kurdish, and Turkish forces.
Strong opposition from US officials led to a ceasefire negotiation on Thursday that gives the Kurds five days to evacuate previously claimed territory — an effective surrender for US allies against Turkey.
Pelosi has adamantly opposed the Trump administration's negotiations in the Middle East over the past month, resulting in a tense verbal dispute at the White House on Wednesday and a clash with the president over Twitter.
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