Rabat, Morocco, Dec 5 (AFP/APP): Top US diplomat Mike Pompeo visited Morocco on Thursday, the highest-ranking American official to travel there since the election of President Donald Trump. Pompeo met his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita to discuss the “threat” posed by Iran’s attempts to “broaden its regional influence”, as well as the conflicts in Libya and unrest across the Sahel region, Bourita said in a statement. The State Department has called Morocco an “essential partner” in Washington’s broader diplomatic strategy, which includes normalisation of ties between Arab countries and Israel. The visit followed Israeli media reports that the country’s officials were hoping for a “breakthrough” in normalising ties with the North African country in the coming days. Neither Pompeo nor Moroccan officials made any public mention of such efforts during his visit. Egypt and Jordan remain the only Arab countries to have peace treaties and formal diplomatic ties with Israel. “We have a great relationship between our two countries,” Pompeo said, as he began his meetings in Rabat. “We make our people safer in each of our two countries.” The trip comes after Pompeo announced last month that the United States no longer considered Jewish settlements in the West Bank … Continue reading Pompeo visits Morocco in first since Trump election