(MENAFN- Arab Times) WASHINGTON, June 21, (Agencies): The United States declared itself 'mystified' on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have failed to justify their embargo on Qatar, and urged both sides to resolve the dangerous dispute. Signaling Washington's mounting frustration at Riyadh's role in the crisis, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called into question whether Qatar's alleged support for terrorism is its true cause.
'Now that it has been more than two weeks since the embargo started we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the Qataris nor to the public the details about the claims they are making toward Qatar,' she said. 'The more that time goes by the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,' she added, in a significant swipe at two of Washington's closest allies. 'At this point we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatar's alleged support for terrorism?' 'Or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries?' she asked, referring to the Gulf Cooperation Council which includes both Doha and Riyadh.
The statement came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has been assigned by President Donald Trump to oversee an end to the crisis, spent two frustrating days on the telephone with senior Gulf officials. Nauert said he had made at least 20 calls to both Riyadh and Doha, and that he wanted to see a quicker resolution to the confl ict, which has seen Saudi Arabia close its border and airspace with Qatar, home to a huge US air base.
'The secretary is determined to remain engaged as we monitor the situation,' she said. 'We are encouraging all sides to deescalate tensions and engage in constructive dialogue. We once again call on all parties to focus on the core regional and international goal of fighting terrorism,' she said. US officials denied the statement marked a shift in their position, but it does mark a break with Trump's previous statements on the crisis, in which he appeared to take Saudi Arabia's side over Qatar's. On June 10, Trump alleged that Qatar 'has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level' — echoing Riyadh's claim that the gas-rich emirate has been funding extremist groups, including some linked to Saudi foe Iran. But while Tillerson has urged Qatar to be 'responsive to the concerns of its neighbors,' the State Department has called on all countries in the region to do more to fight extremism and cut funding to illegal groups.
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Many observers in Washington believe that Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies' problem with Qatar has more to do with its hosting of pan-Arabic news channels like Al-Jazeera and figures from the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Washington has its own concerns about the Brotherhood but has not listed it as a foreign terrorist organization, and it relies on Qatar as the host of the biggest US air base in the Middle East, a hub in the war against the Islamic State group. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed his full support to Kuwait's mediation initiative in the complex Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) situation.
In a press conference held at the UN headquarters, the UN chief expressed concern over the situation, believing that there should be a 'regional solution.' 'I have followed particularly the efforts of mediation by Kuwait, and I express my support to the Kuwait mediation initiative,' he said. Guterres told the press that he thinks what Kuwait is doing 'is the most useful way,' and for the UN to cooperate in trying to address a situation that is complex, the leadership should be a 'regional leadership.' 'My main concern has been is to try to push for a regional solution and what I have considered as most effective and probable mediator has been Kuwait that has my full support,' he added.
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When asked about intervention of other countries to the conflict in order to solve it, he said if countries or entities who have leverage over the parties to the conflict can help, then obviously their efforts will always be welcomed. 'I don't think the UN has a leverage over the parties to the conflict that makes our direct intervention more effective than the support of Kuwaiti mediation,' Guterres stressed. Qatar on Tuesday accused 'neighbouring countries', which have cut ties with it, of being behind the alleged cyber attack on Doha's state media which set into motion the current diplomatic crisis. Attorney General Ali bin Fetais al- Marri, one of the most senior legal figures in Qatar, said the case 'is very clear' that the alleged hacking emanated from 'countries responsible for the siege'.
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