
The Trump administration will send two top officials to the Middle East this week in a bid to capitalise on momentum from the historic agreement between Israeli and the United Arab Emirates to establish diplomatic relations.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner plan to make separate, multiple-nation visits to the region in the coming days.
Pompeo is expected to depart on Sunday for Israel, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Sudan, according to the diplomats.
Kushner plans to leave later in the week for Israel, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, the diplomats said.
Neither trip is expected to result in announcements of immediate breakthrough, although both are aimed at finalising at least one, and potentially more, normalisation deals with Israel in the near future.
Pompeo also plans to meet in Qatar with members of the Talban to discuss intra-Afghan peace talks that are key to the withdrawal of remaining US Forces in Afghanistan.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced on August 13 they would establish full diplomatic relations, in a US-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.
The historic agreement delivered a key foreign policy victory to Trump as he seeks reelection in November.