Things are falling apart in the Gulf and all diplomatic efforts led by the United States and other nations have failed so far as the Saudi Arabia and others bent on bringing Qatar to its knees.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to help resolve the stubborn Qatar crisis, with the deadline given to Qatar to meet the demands given by Saudi and the other Arab neighbours looming. Tillerson had talks with Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. He quickly followed that with a meeting with Kuwait Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah, whose country has taken on the official role of mediator.
And he was planning to meet in a working dinner late Tuesday with the Kuwaitis and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has offered to help resolve the row. But Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, also in Washington, was unbudging over the three-week-old squabble, which has left Qatar, a US ally, isolated under a trade and diplomatic embargo set by its Gulf Arab neighbors.
“Our demands on Qatar are non-negotiable. It’s now up to Qatar to end its support for extremism and terrorism,” Jubeir said via Twitter.
#Saudi FM Adel Al-Jubeir: no negotiations with #Qatar over demands list. They must meet them in full. https://t.co/swJI3spUz7
— Ola Salem علا (@Ola_Salem) June 27, 2017
The US is in somewhat a logjam as all the nations in the dispute are its allies. Washington has close economic and security ties with both sides of the quarrel. Qatar is home to the largest US base in the region, Al-Udeid. Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet. And the US and Saudi militaries work closely together as well.
Kuwait is the official arbitrator for seeking a settlement, and after meeting al-Sabah, Tillerson pledged his support for its lead in talks.
The US will be central to finding compromises that would do little damage but allow each side to claim a win, said Hussein Ibish, a scholar on Gulf affairs at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
“It’s an all-out struggle of wills,” he said. “The way out for both sides is a kind of an American mediation which is face-saving for everybody.”
The United States has cautioned that some of the demands would be difficult for Qatar to accept, asking the Saudis for a clear list of grievances that are “reasonable and actionable.”
It’s almost general consensus That the Saudi’s demands are unreasonable, insulting and preposterous
