Call for Qatar base move
US is urged to rethink its military presence in Doha
ABU DHABI // The United States has been urged to consider moving all or parts of its largest military base in the region out of Qatar.
The move is not an explicit goal of the isolation of Qatar by other Gulf countries, but “if any- one asks we’d be willing to have that conversation”, said Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE Ambassador to the US.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have severed relations with Doha, cut travel and commerce links and ordered most Qatari citizens to leave their countries over Qatar’s support for Islamist groups and its ties with Iran.
Mr Al Otaiba said there was “absolutely no military component to anything that we are doing”. But, he said, additional measures that increase economic pressure on Doha could be applied if the crisis is not quickly resolved. “Maybe someone in Congress should have a hearing and just say, you know, ‘Should we consider moving it?’” Mr Al Otaiba said in Washington on Tuesday.
“And maybe not moving the entire base. Maybe just distribute to various countries so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket,” Mr Al Otaiba said.
He said he had assured the US defence secretary Jim Mattis that the unprecedented crisis within the GCC would not affect operations at Al Udeid airbase, the forward headquarters for US Central Command.
The centre runs operations across the region and is staffed by more than 10,000 troops.
Mr Al Otaiba suggested the US forces could be moved to the UAE, which signed a new defence cooperation agreement with Washington last month that covers US military assets in the UAE.
The base is a key factor in Qatar’s national security strategy to deter military action, and the ambassador suggested that Donald Trump should use this leverage to force Doha to end its support for Islamist groups that the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries consider terrorist organisations.
The UAE and its allies will “fairly soon” provide a list to US officials of the specific steps they are demanding Qatar take for the crisis to be resolved, Mr Al Otaiba said.
They will fall within three broad categories: support for extremist groups and ideology; meddling in the internal affairs of neighbours; and Qatari media used as a platform to attack the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt.
Mr Al Otaiba said his country and the US had allowed “bad behaviour” by Qatar to continue for “a very long time”. The ambassador’s remarks come as diplomatic efforts by regional and world powers have failed to produce a breakthrough, and as the US secretary of state Rex Tillerson attempts to lead a US-led mediation process in Washington.
Mr Tillerson has urged all sides to de-escalate.
Asked about such calls to reduce tensions, Mr Al Otaiba said “that’s not going to happen”.
Qatari officials have also not publicly shown any willingness to acknowledge the UAE and Saudi concerns, let alone respond to them.
Qatar’s closest ally, Turkey, has increased its rhetoric after accelerating plans to deploy more troops to its base near Doha.
On Tuesday, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Mr Tillerson and Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir “talked about the need and the agreement to come together, to work together”. She said the mood was now hopeful and that the approach of both officials “believes that the worst is behind us”.
Mr Tillerson is said to be working to arrange talks between Saudi, Emirati and Qatari officials, potentially foreign ministers, as early as this week, but so far no plans have been announced.
A threat by the US to move its base may bring Qatar to the table ready to give concessions but the Pentagon is unlikely to support a move, not only because it would cost a huge sum of money.
A key element of the American strategic posture in the Gulf is to have bases in a number of countries.