Blinken in Morocco amid shifts in Mideast, NAfrica diplomacy

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Morocco to discuss recent shifts in the diplomatic dynamic in the Middle East and North Africa that could upend some of the region’s long-standing disputes. A day after an unprecedented meeting in Israel’s Negev Desert with the foreign ministers of four Arab nations that have normalized relations with Israel, Blinken was meeting on Tuesday with senior Moroccan officials to look at opportunities for expanding those ties. In Morocco and in Algeria on Wednesday, Blinken will also be exploring options for helping end the neighbors’ festering row over Western Sahara after new developments offered fresh hope but also added new complications for a resolution.