Saudi Arabia and its Arab neighbors are drafting a list of demands for Qatar, which the country must abide to before Riyadh and its Gulf allies consider lifting an air and naval blockade against the small, oil-rich nation, the State Department said Wednesday.
Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson said the list of demands drafted by representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain could reach Doha within the next several weeks.
“We hope the list of demands will be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable,” Mr. Tillerson said in a statement. He did not disclose details of the Gulf states’ demands in Wednesday’s statement.
Mr. Tillerson reiterated calls for a timely resolution on the Qatari issue during a joint press conference Wednesday, with Defense Secretary James Mattis at the State Department.
“Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table … to bring this to a conclusion,” Mr. Tillerson said.
“Our desire is for unity in the Gulf, and unity in the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council],” in order to shift focus back to the fight against Islamic State terror group and other extremist groups operating in the Middle East, Mr. Tillerson added during the press conference, focusing on ongoing talks with Beijing over regional security issues in the Pacific.
Mr. Tillerson also credited mediators from Kuwait for coordinating the terms for ending the Qatari blockade among the Gulf council members, who approved the blockade in June to punish Doha for its ties to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood.
“We look forward to this matter moving towards a resolution,” he added.
The State Department chief had called for an easing of the blockade weeks after its implementation by the Saudi-led Arab coalition within the Gulf council. At the time, Mr. Tillerson said the council’s actions against Qatar was spurring on a humanitarian crisis in the country.
Mr. Tillerson also noted the blockade was impeding U.S. military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, as well as the ongoing mission in Afghanistan, based out of the massive Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. However weeks later, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford told Congress the Qatar blockade was having no impact on U.S. operations.
His comments came during a exchange between the four-star general and Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren, while testifying at a June 13 hearing of the the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2018 budget request.
When asked, point-blank, whether the blockade or other ongoing efforts to ostracize Qatar over its ties to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood was impacting U.S. military operations in the region, Gen. Dunford replied succinctly that it was not. Further, President Trump has expressed his support for the Qatari blockade, noting it was a effective tool to force Doha to break ties with jihadi groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Carlo Muñoz can be reached at cmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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