EMIR OF QATAR RENEWS CALL FOR DIALOGUE TO ARAB STATES

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has renewed a call for “unconditional dialogue” to end a crisis pitting Qatar against four Arab states while US President Donald Trump said he expected the dispute to be resolved quickly.

Speaking at the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim renewed the call “for an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty”.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region’s biggest US military base. The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar’s leaders deny. Kuwait has been trying to mediate and the US has taken a robust role in trying to end the crisis, but as yet to no avail.

Trump and Sheikh Tamim later held a meeting in which the emir was careful to stress the strong Qatar-US ties after Trump appeared to be more sympathetic to the Saudi position at the start of the crisis. Qatar hosts Al Udeid air base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East.

“As you said, Mr President, we have a problem with our neighbours,” Tamim said, adding that with Trump’s intervention, “hopefully we can find a solution for this problem.” Trump, who expressed willingness to mediate, said he had a “very strong feeling” the row would be solved “pretty quickly”. REUTERS