US President Donald Trump expects the US-led international stabilization force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip very soon, BNR reported.
The force is part of Trump's plan to manage the enclave after the end of the war. It is expected that they will train Palestinian police and be responsible for border security and preventing arms trafficking. He believes that they will include representatives from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
On Wednesday, the United States circulated a draft resolution in the UN Security Council related to the peace plan, which also addresses the issue of the stabilization force. It is still unclear when it will be voted on, and according to a diplomatic source, several countries have expressed a desire to send their representatives, but are demanding a mandate from the world organization before that. Negotiations on the draft resolution are expected to begin later today. A US diplomat said the stabilization force would include about 20,000 people. US President Donald Trump identified critical rare earth elements as a key priority during his meeting with the leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House on Wednesday, highlighting his administration's efforts to expand and secure US supply chains through new global agreements, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA. Trump's meeting with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan comes at a time when Washington is seeking to expand its influence in the resource-rich region, long dominated by Russia and increasingly becoming the subject of special attention from China. Trump described Central Asia as an "extremely rich region" and said he was determined to strengthen U.S. partnerships with the five countries.
The U.S. president is ramping up his demand for rare earth metals, which are needed for high-tech devices including smartphones, electric cars and fighter jets, the Associated Press reported.
The summit last night came after Trump managed to achieve at least a temporary thaw in relations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping over differences between the two countries over rare earth exports, a key sticking point in their trade talks.
After talks between Trump and Xi in South Korea last week, China said it would delay its new restrictions on rare earth exports for a year.
Washington is now looking for new ways to bypass China on critical rare earths, of which Central Asia has large reserves. But the region needs investment to continue developing its resources, the AP reported.