UK: PM Boris Johnson meets US' Mike Pompeo

LONDON

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the “importance of working together with 5 Eye countries on the technologies of the future” – referring to the alliance of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand with the UK and US – a government statement said Tuesday.

Meeting at the government offices on Downing Street, Johnson and Pompeo spoke about “shared global security and foreign policy issues, including China's actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the situation in Iran, and the Middle East Peace Process,” it said.

“The Prime Minister and Secretary of State also underlined their commitment to negotiate a strong UK-US Free Trade Agreement that benefits the economies of both countries,” it added.

Britain has been holding talks with US for a post-Brexit trade deal with the country to maximize its trade, set to face new challenges on Dec. 31 – the deadline for the transition period with the EU.

At the meeting Johnson also reiterated “the need for justice to be done for Harry Dunn and his family,” citing the “strong feeling among the people of the UK that justice must be delivered.”

British teenager Dunn was killed in a traffic accident last year by Anne Sacholas, the wife of a US diplomat with diplomatic immunity. She left for the US shortly after the accident. British requests to extradite her for a trial fell on deaf ears, and this January Pompeo rejected such a move, calling the decision “final.”

Pompeo also met Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and other local politicians during his visit to London.

“Valuable discussion with @SecPompeo about shared priority issues, including the Middle East and the diversification of telecoms & the full range of bilateral issues. [Britain] & [America] do a tremendous amount together - we'll always work together to uphold security & prosperity of our people,” Raab said on Twitter.

Pompeo, for his part, said on Twitter: “We know that U.S.-UK cooperation is absolutely integral to global security and stability. Glad to meet with Dominic Raab once again - our dynamic discussion covering our shared security concerns and our continued coordination within the G7 reinforced how deep U.S.-UK ties are.”

At a joint news conference, Pompeo said he had a “very productive conversation” with Raab, and praised the UK’s decisions to strip Huawei out of its 5G infrastructure and grant a path to citizenship for Hong Kongers.

The US, he said, supported “those sovereign choices.” Pompeo added that he hoped the UK-US trade deal will be completed “before too long.”

The US secretary of state rejected the wording of a question that asked if the US wants the UK to do more on China. Instead, he said, the US wanted all sovereign countries to understand the threat posed by China and push back.

Raab said the UK had not been pressured by the US, and Pompeo said that Johnson made the decision on the basis of what was best for the UK.

*Karim El-Bar in London contributed to this story