i24NEWS | AFP - The United States is seeking to rally the world behind a vision of the Middle East that includes maximum pressure on Iran and strong backing of Israel in Warsaw summit that kicks off Wednesday, but is so far winning little fresh support.







Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month announced the two-day conference saying that foreign ministers from around the world would come to Poland to discuss the "destabilizing influence" of Iran in the Middle East.

The conference is set to be held as Iran is this week celebrating 40 years since Islamic zealots toppled the Western-oriented shah, and a show of unity would serve as a powerful rejoinder to Iran's clerical regime.

But with few RSVPs coming in, the United States and Poland have toned down the agenda, stating that the conference is not focused on Iran or on building a coalition against it, but rather looking more broadly at the Middle East.

Even though the meeting takes place in the European Union, major European powers are sending low-level representation with the exception of British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who signaled that he primarily wants to address the humanitarian crisis triggered by the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said she had previous commitments and Pompeo instead will have breakfast with her in Brussels on his way home.

Even host Poland -- which is eager for strong relations with the United States in the face of a resurgent Russia -- has stressed that it still joins the European Union in backing a 2015 deal negotiated by former US president Barack Obama to ease sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.

President Donald Trump stormed out of the deal last year, calling it "terrible", and has reimposed sweeping US sanctions aimed at strangling Iran's economy and curbing its regional power.

Iran, for its part, as derided the conference as a �desperate anti-Iran circus�.

Iran was not invited to Warsaw and summoned the Polish ambassador to protest. And in a show of diplomatic clout, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will travel during the US-led conference to Russia, which declined to attend in Warsaw.

Lebanon announced Monday that it also would not participate in the summit, citing the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the �orientation of the conference.�.

The Palestinian Authority government has urged other Arab countries to similarly boycott the event.



- Hints of US Middle East plan -

The countries that are sending top officials to Warsaw are pushing for a tough line on Iran including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Arab allies of the United States such as the United Arab Emirates.






Netanyahu said that Iran remained the foremost item on the agenda -- "how to continue preventing it from entrenchment in Syria, how to thwart its aggression in the region and, above all, how to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons."

Yet the United States is also expected in Warsaw to offer hints of its proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who has been putting final touches on a "deal of the century" for the Middle East, will make a rare speaking appearance on Thursday.

Kushner, whose family is close to Netanyahu, is not expected to unveil the proposal until after the April 9 election in Israel.

US Vice President Mike Pence will also address the conference, whose co-host is Pompeo.

Both Pence and Pompeo will meet with Netanyahu on the sidelines of the summit.

The Trump administration faces an uphill climb in selling any deal to the Palestinian Authority, which remains livid over Trump's landmark 2017 decision to recognize Jerusalem -- claimed by both peoples -- as Israel's capital.

The Palestinian government -- which has labelled the Warsaw conference an "American conspiracy" -- has refused talks with the United States until it starts what it calls a more balanced policy.

- Expanding anti-Iran coalition -

Netanyahu has warned about Iran�s hostile intentions and unfaithful nature for more than a decade, ultimately convincing US President Donald Trump that the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran was flawed and thus should be withdrawn.

His country has also long warned that Iran was seeking to use its intervention in war-torn Syria to stake out a permanent military presence in the country, both opening a new front on Israel�s northern border and forming a contiguous land corridor clear across the Middle East controlled by its various proxies.

Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said the Warsaw conference should "initiate a process" on finding stability in the Middle East, with a US official saying that countries will hold follow-up meetings.

Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group think tank, said the United States appeared determined to use Warsaw to expand beyond its anti-Iran coalition of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"I doubt Washington will succeed in achieving this objective, because while many in Europe share US concerns with regards to Iran's regional activities and ballistic missiles program, they don't agree with Washington's one-sided and maximalist view that Iran is the source of all evil in the region," he said.

The Israeli Prime Minister has repeatedly said that Sunni states have been making overtures to Israel, spurred by the perceived mutual threat of Iran which both accuse of fueling regional conflicts by supporting armed proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain.

(Staff with AFP)