US, EU back Kuwait Gulf mediation Crisis hinders US military actions
WASHINGTON, June 10, (Agencies): The US supports mediation efforts of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait to bring about a peaceful resolution to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) dispute with Qatar, as well as progress toward eliminating all forms of support for terrorism — military, financial, moral or ideological, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday.
“Yes, we’ll support these mediation efforts, along with the (His Highness) Amir of Kuwait” Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Tillerson said in remarks at the State Department.
Three weeks ago, President Donald Trump joined members of the GCC “in a strong show of partnership, repudiation of extremism and a plan to defeat terrorism of all kinds in the region and around the world,” Tillerson said. “Now the situation in the Arabian Gulf over the last few days is troubling to the United States, the region and to many people who are directly affected.” The US wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the spirit of the summit held last month in Riyadh, he said.
“As we combine efforts to defeat the military, financial and ideological support of terrorists, we expect to see progress in the Arab world toward greater political expression,” he said. “An important pathway to attack Islamic extremism and to prevent political activism from escalating into violence is to allow marginalized voices opportunities for political expression.” But this process requires regional and global consensus, and mutual understanding, he said. The GCC Summit creates a platform to achieve this consensus and understanding, he added.
“We call for calm and thoughtful dialogue with clear expectations and accountability among the parties in order to strengthen relationships,” Tillerson said. “We ask that there be no further escalation by the parties in the region.
“We call on Qatar to be responsive to the concerns of its neighbors,” he said. “Qatar has a history of supporting groups that have spanned the spectrum of political expression, from activism to violence.” The Amir of Qatar has made progress in halting financial support and expelling terrorist elements from his country, “but he must do more, and he must do it more quickly,” Tillerson said.
Others must also continue to eliminate factions of support for violent organizations within their own borders, he said.
“Again, that was a commitment made by all at the summit,” he said. “We call on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to ease the blockade against Qatar.” There are humanitarian consequences to the blockade, Tillerson said.
“We’re seeing shortages of food, families are being forcibly separated, and children are being pulled out of school,” he said. “We believe these are unintended consequences, especially during this holy month of Ramadan, but they can be
is this not a stretch too far?
Is the Mayor not aware that Tehran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism and has abetted the Bashar Al Assad regime in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Syrians? The image of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani basking in a royal welcome at the Elysée Palace while bearing a lucrative shopping list still rankles with me.
To be frank, I have doubts about the entire incident. Strangely Iran’s lawmakers continued their session amid the backdrop of gunfire; strange that the media was forbidden to take photographs of the presumably ‘damaged shrine’.
The attackers were allegedly Iranian. DAESH opportunistically claimed responsibility. Yet, Iran was quick to blame its nemesis Saudi Arabia without any shred of proof. The timing was very convenient.
I would not be surprised if this was a false flag operation organized by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to fool the international community into believing Iran is a target rather than a state which funds, arms or cooperates with a host of terror organizations, including DAESH and al Qaeda.
Analysts are always opining on where all their hatred comes from. At this point, that is nothing but a workout
for the brain. When someone has cancer, their doctors do not spend months or years debating what caused the disease; they work to cure it.
Britain’s leadership should shrug off the old ways of thinking. The UK must face up to the painful reality that the country confronts the greatest emergency since World War II. At least the Nazis were separated by the Channel, not hiding in every town and city biding their time.
I salute the people of Manchester and London for their spirit of defiance and unity. I salute London’s police force for their rapid response to the unfolding tragedy, the first responders who risked their own lives to help the injured and I admire the heroic deeds of so many ordinary people who surely wanted to run from danger, but instead stopped to give comfort to the dying. These are the heroes and they deserve a decisive response from their government so that they and their compatriots never have to suffer such trauma again.
Attitudes need changing, the PC culture railroaded and human rights laws revised. Until the cure is as radical as the disease, there will be many more messages of condolence, many more minutes of silence and many more flower-laden graves. addressed immediately.” The blockade is also impairing US and other international business activities in the region, Tillerson said. It has created a hardship on the people of Qatar, and the people whose livelihoods depend on commerce with Qatar, he added.
“The blockade is hindering US military actions in the region and the campaign against ISIS,” he said, referring to the so-called Islamic State.
“In the last few days I’ve spoken to many leaders in the region, and as I’ve said to all of them, we know you’re stronger together,” Tillerson said.
“It is clear to me based on these conversations that the elements of a solution are available,” he said. “The GCC must emerge united and stronger to show the world the GCC’s resolve in its fight against violence and terrorism, and its commitment to countering the threat from terrorism.
“Our expectation is that these countries will immediately take steps to deescalate the situation, and put forth a good-faith effort to resolve their grievances they have with each other,” he
added.
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini expressed, meanwhile, the European Union’s full support to mediation efforts by His Highness the Amir to defuse tensions in the Gulf region.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Thani in Brussels Friday evening, she said the EU has two main messages for the Gulf countries.
“One is avoid any further escalation and second engage in a political dialogue in particular taking advantage of the mediation efforts that Kuwait is putting in place,” she said.
“We do not want to multiply mediation efforts. For us it is clear that there is one mediation effort in place that is the one which succeeded during a similar but less dramatic crisis in 2014. We believe that the Kuwait effort can be the one succeeding. We support their work and we have put the EU help and support at their disposal to accompany it in the best possible manner,” she stressed.
Mogherini said she had a long telephone conversation with the Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah yesterday, and just before today’s