Trump: It’s the beginning of the end for terrorism ... thanks to me
DOnALD Trump yesterday claimed the credit for dramatic Gulf state moves to isolate Qatar, hailing it as possibly the ‘beginning of the end’ of terrorism.
The US president insisted his trip to the Middle East last month was already paying off after Arab leaders took a hard line against Qatar over its alleged funding of terror groups.
Mr Trump, facing calls for his state visit to Britain to be cancelled over his criticism of London mayor Sadiq Khan in the wake of the London Bridge terror attack, said his antiIslamist speech at the Riyadh summit had prompted the leaders to target Qatar, severing diplomatic, economic and transport links.
‘During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology,’ he announced on Twitter. ‘Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!’
He added: ‘So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding, extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!’
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Yemen and other Arab governments have all cut ties with Qatar.
They claim the country is not only supporting terrorism but strengthening links with Iran, and providing shelter for leaders of extremist groups such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. The tiny gas and oil-rich state, which was ruled by Britain for 55 years until 1971 and is Sunni Muslim, has vehemently rejected claims it sponsors terrorism.
It will be stunned by Mr Trump’s remarks given it sees itself as a key US ally with at least 8,000 American servicemen based there.
Other US leaders including secretary of state Rex Tillerson and defence secretary James Mattis have urged calm.
US officials argued Qatar is too important to American military and diplomatic interests to be isolated for long. Despite Mr Trump claiming the credit, US officials say they were blindsided by the Arab move against Qatar on Monday.
Mr Trump’s intervention came as Kuwait’s ruling emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber AlSabah was due to meet Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to try to mediate in the dispute.
The rift has already affected global oil prices, caused flight chaos and plunged businesses and banks in the region into confusion. A string of Gulf banks have already halted business dealings with Qatar, which holds some of the world’s biggest natural gas and oil reserves. With their hostile neighbours closing their airspace to Qatari commercial flights, planes were forced to take wide detours, mostly over Iran.
The prospect of Qatar hosting the 2022 football World Cup is also now in doubt, with all land access to the country through Saudi Arabia. Mr Trump’s main target in his Saudi speech last month was Shia-majority Iran and its ‘destabilising interventions’ in Arab regions.
However, fellow Sunni-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have long been critical of Qatar’s maverick political stances and support for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which they regard as hostile.