Pompeo arrives in Munich Germany for conference

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Munich on Thursday, ahead of the Munich conference, which opens Friday. Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper's visit to Munich comes as the US appears close to signing a truce in Afghanistan, is pushing for renewing sanctions on Iran, has introduced a new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan and is trying to discourage allies from allowing the Chinese company Huawei to be part of next-generation wireless networks.

Meanwhile, in the background are worries about the global spread of the new coronavirus from China.

The Munich conference attracts a wide array of foreign diplomats and national security officials and has been the venue for unexpected and sometimes surprising revelations.

It has been marked by turbulent US-European relations before, notably during the debate over the Iraq war in early 2003. But the current level of tension exceeds that of previous years and spans a wider range of issues.