Qatar signs anti-terror deal in effort to end Gulf dispute
Secretary of DOHA, QATAR — State Rex Tillerson sealed a deal Tuesday to intensify Qatar’s counterterrorism efforts, tackling a central issue in the spat pitting the besieged Gulf nation against four other American allies lined up against it.
Tillerson outlined the agreement at the end of his first visit to Qatar since its neighbors moved to isolate it over grievances, including what they allege is its support for extremist groups.
It was his second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy circuit that will take him next to Saudi Arabia, which has shut Qatar’s only land border and is the most powerful of the countries opposing it.
The centerpiece of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of understanding that lays out steps Qatar can take to bolster its fight against terrorism and address shortfalls in policing terrorism funding.
Tillerson said the deal, the details of which were not made public, has been in the works for a while and included some steps that already had been taken.
“Together, the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe,” he said following talks with 37-yearold Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Tillerson also gave besieged Qatar some political backing ahead of his talks in Saudi Arabia today, saying, “I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable.”
Though largely symbolic, the deal allows Tillerson to show some progress in his first major attempt at global mediation as secretary of state, and also bolsters President Donald Trump’s contention that he is ramping up the fight against terror financing.
In addition, the deal may also help Tillerson argue that Qatar is making a good-faith effort to address concerns and that Qatar’s neighbors need to do the same.
Ahead of Tillerson’s visit, U.S. officials worked vigorously to lower expectations, insisting that he did not expect an immediate breakthrough and cautioning that a resolution could take months. Wary of letting the U.S. be dragged into the middle of an intra-Gulf spat, Tillerson had avoided taking on a central mediating role until it became clear that Kuwait-led efforts to resolve the crisis were stalled.
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, the Kuwaiti emir who is mediating the dispute, said Tuesday he is “extremely concerned” about the crisis.
Tillerson began his Gulf visit Monday by meeting Kuwait’s ruler, who has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
The four nations broke off relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it more than a month ago. They later issued a 13-point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.
The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets including Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.