Trump assures help to Venezuela; pledges new Middle East peace plan within months

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday assured help to Venezuela and saidhe was willing to meet the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

He said, "I just want to see Venezuela straightened out. I want the people to be safe. We're going to take care of Venezuela".

On his meetingwith Maduro, Trump said, "If he's here, if he wants to meet ... it was not on my mind, it was not on my plate but if I can help people that's what I'm here for."

Venezuela is suffering an economic collapse and mass emigration under Nicolas Maduro.

Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States was preparing a "series of actions" to raise pressure on Maduro, whom Washington and its allies accuse of stifling democracy by jailing opposition leaders.

Speaking before entering talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly Meeting, Trump said he would present a two-state peace plan for the Middle East in the coming months.

He also expressed confidence that the Palestinians would return to talks despite his unwavering support for Israel.

Trump said that it was a "dream" of his to bring about a peaceful solution to a conflict that has eluded several of his predecessors.

"I would say over the next two to three to four months," Trump said, referring to his prospective timetable for presenting a plan as he met Netanyahu.

Trump for the first time said explicitly that he backed a two-state solution that would create an independent Palestine, saying: "That's what I think works best, that's my feeling."

"I really believe something will happen. It is a dream of mine to be able to get that done prior to the end of my first term," added Trump.

The Middle East peace process has effectively been stalled since the Palestinians broke off contacts with the Trump administration last year in protest at the US president's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state.

The Palestinians also want Jerusalem to be their capital and have long argued that the status of the holy city should only be settled as part of a larger peace agreement.

Relations between the Palestinian Authority and the United States have fallen even lower in recent weeks after Washington cut off funding, including to a UN agency that helps millions of Palestinian refugees.

(With inputs from AFP)