Kerry arrives in Qatar to address GCC concerns over Iran deal
US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Qatar on Sunday for talks with his Gulf Arab counterparts on the next leg of a regional tour to ease allies' concerns over the Iran nuclear deal.
Kerry landed in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday evening after a weekend visit to Egypt, where he sought to assure his counterpart Sameh Shoukry and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that the landmark deal would bring more security to the Middle East.
"There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan is fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be or were," Kerry told a joint news conference with Shoukry of the landmark nuclear deal.
On Monday, Kerry will meet his six counterparts from the Sunni-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council to try to allay their fears about Shiite Iran after the nuclear deal.
The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Many Gulf Arab states have said they are concerned about Iran's regional ambitions following the accord with the United States and Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
On the sidelines of Monday's GCC gathering in Doha, Kerry will hold a three-way meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir.
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