Saudi-led bloc stays tough on Qatar despite Trump offer

RIYADH: A Saudiled bloc of Arab states hostile to Qatar took aim at Kuwaiti mediation and maintained a tough line even after US President Donald Trump offered to help resolve the crisis.

Saudi Arabia led the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of bankrolling Islamist extremist groups and of being too close to Iran.

They also shut down air, maritime and land links and imposed economic sanctions on Qatar.

The gasrich emirate denies the claims and accuses the four countries of attacking its sovereignty.

In Washington on Thursday, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah alAhmad AlSabah, a key figure involved in mediation attempts, met Trump and gave an upbeat assessment of his efforts so far.

At a joint news conference with the emir, Trump offered his own mediation in the threemonth crisis, the worst to have gripped the Gulf region in decades.

“I would be willing to be the mediator,” Trump told reporters.

“I would be willing to do so, and I think you’d have a deal worked out very quickly.

“I think it’s something that’s going to get solved fairly easily.”

But in a statement early Friday, the Saudiled bloc showed no signs of backing down as it questioned the Kuwaiti emir’s statement that Qatar would be willing to accept their 13 demands.

“Dialogue on the implementation of the demands should not be preceded by any conditions,” they said in the joint statement carried by the staterun Saudi Press Agency.

The demands include shutting Dohabased broadcaster AlJazeera, closing a Turkish military base in the emirate and downgrading Qatari diplomatic ties with Iran. — AFP