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Mattis arrives in Jordan to meet King Abdullah

dpa/Cairo

August 21, 2017 | 06:57 PM

US Defense Secretary James Mattis (C-L) walks with Jordan's Prince Faisal (C-R), the brother of King Abdullah II, as he is welcomed and escorted to his meeting with the King in Amman.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis arrived Monday in the Jordanian capital Amman, state-run news agency Petra reported, part of a tour that also includes stops in Turkey and Ukraine.

Mattis met with Jordan's King Abdullah II, where they discussed Syrian safe zones, the refugee crisis the war has produced, and the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. They also tackled bilateral military cooperation and enhancing US army support to the monarchy, according to Petra.On Wednesday, Mattis will be in NATO-ally Turkey to meet withPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well the ministers of defence andforeign affairs. He travels to Ukraine on Thursday.

By dpa/Cairo

August 21, 2017 | 06:57 PM