Qatar’s Gulf Neighbors Vow to Press Blockade After a Deadline Passes
- 7 years ago
Qatar’s Gulf Neighbors Vow to Press Blockade After a Deadline Passes
Meeting in Cairo, foreign ministers from the four blockading countries — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates
and Bahrain — said they were "disappointed" by the response to their demands, and stepped up their criticism of Qatar, which they say is meddling in the affairs of their countries.
In Cairo on Wednesday, the ministers thanked Mr. Trump for his "firm stance on extremism and terrorism."
But Mr. Trump is at odds with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who has relationships with Persian Gulf leaders on all sides of the dispute from his time as the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, and who has been skeptical of the demands being pressed by the Saudis and Emiratis.
American officials say that Mr. Trump sees the crisis as an opportunity to force changes in Qatar’s maverick foreign policy,
and to bolster his close alliance with the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Mr. Trump, some officials say, seems intent on helping the Saudis as they press their demands for action against Al Jazeera
and the Muslim Brotherhood in Qatar, even if Qatar is unlikely to ever agree to them.
The tension between Mr. Trump, who appears determined to make an example of Qatar,
and Mr. Tillerson, who has taken a more pragmatic stance, has hobbled efforts by American officials to resolve the dispute.
Meeting in Cairo, foreign ministers from the four blockading countries — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates
and Bahrain — said they were "disappointed" by the response to their demands, and stepped up their criticism of Qatar, which they say is meddling in the affairs of their countries.
In Cairo on Wednesday, the ministers thanked Mr. Trump for his "firm stance on extremism and terrorism."
But Mr. Trump is at odds with Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, who has relationships with Persian Gulf leaders on all sides of the dispute from his time as the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, and who has been skeptical of the demands being pressed by the Saudis and Emiratis.
American officials say that Mr. Trump sees the crisis as an opportunity to force changes in Qatar’s maverick foreign policy,
and to bolster his close alliance with the rulers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Mr. Trump, some officials say, seems intent on helping the Saudis as they press their demands for action against Al Jazeera
and the Muslim Brotherhood in Qatar, even if Qatar is unlikely to ever agree to them.
The tension between Mr. Trump, who appears determined to make an example of Qatar,
and Mr. Tillerson, who has taken a more pragmatic stance, has hobbled efforts by American officials to resolve the dispute.