Tillerson urges Arab nations to resolve rift with Qatar
By
Mark Moore
June 5, 2017 | 9:32am |
Updated
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Reuters
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday called on Gulf states to “sit down together” to work out their differences to resolve a deepening diplomatic rift with Qatar.
“We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences,” Tillerson said during a stop in Sydney. “If there’s any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) remain united.”
A number of Gulf nations — Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Saudi Arabia —
announced they were severing ties with Qatar over what they say is the country’s support for terrorism and its relations with Iran.
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Saudi Arabia, which has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen for two years, cut diplomatic relations and closed borders with its neighbor to “protect its national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism, ” the official Saudi Press Agency said.
Yemen said Qatar’s support of extremist groups in Yemen is “in contradiction with the goals announced by the countries supporting the legitimate government.”
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE all also suspended flights to Qatar,
Qatar, which is home to a major U.S. military base used for the air campaign against Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East, said there was “no legitimate justification” for the cutting of diplomatic ties.
Qatar has been accused of backing ISIS fighters in Iraq and providing financial support for terror groups in Syria, allegations the nation denies.
Iran on Monday blamed President Trump for the division between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
The official IRNA news agency cited
the $110 billion arms deal between the US and Saudi Arabia that Trump announced during his visit to the oil-rich kingdom two weeks ago.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Iran’s head of the parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, said the US is encouraging a divide among Muslim countries.
“Intervention of foreign countries, especially the United States, cannot be the solution to regional problems,” he said according to IRNA.
With Post Wires