Secretary of State Pompeo urges Gulf states to heal rift
DOHA (REUTERS) , JANUARY 13, 2019 - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that a rift between Qatar and its Arab Gulf neighbourrs had gone on for too long.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Egypt cut diplomatic, transport and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and their regional foe Shi’ite Muslim Iran - something Doha denies. The United States, an ally of the sixnation Sunni Muslim GCC, sees the rift as a threat to efforts to contain Iran and has pushed for a united Gulf front.
“When we have a common challenge, disputes between countries with shared objectives are never helpful,” he said at a press conference in the Qatari capital Doha. “They never permit you to have as robust a response to common adversaries or common challenges as you might,” he added.