UPDATE - US' Pompeo pays surprise visit to Oman

UPDATE WITH POMPEO’S MEETING WITH OMANI SULTAN

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – US Secretary of State met with Omani Sultan in Muscat Thursday as part of his regional travel, country’s official media reported.

Mike Pompeo and Haitham bin Tariq al-Said discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations as well as “matters of mutual interest” between the two sides, according to official Oman News Agency (ONA).

Pompeo arrived in Oman early Thursday for an unannounced stopover. Before Oman, Pompeo visited Israel, Sudan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

"I look forward to discussing efforts to build unity among the Gulf Cooperation Council and build on the momentum to advance regional peace and prosperity," Pompeo wrote Thursday on his Twitter account.

Although his visit was not announced by the State Department, some media reports revealed that Pompeo is visiting the two countries that have developed relations with Israel.

The US top diplomat’s tour comes after the signing of a normalization deal between Israel and the UAE on Aug. 13 under the US sponsorship.

Palestinian groups, including the Palestinian Authority, denounced the Israel-UAE deal, saying it does not serve the Palestinian cause and ignores the rights of Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority said that any normalization with Israel should be based on the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative on the principle of "land for peace" and not "peace for peace" as Israel calls.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara