Top US diplomat wraps up Gulf tour with little progress
Tillerson discusses Qatar crisis with Kuwait foreign minister
The top US diplomat wrapped up his first foray in shuttle diplomacy yesterday with little sign of progress in breaking a deadlock between the Arab bloc of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, and Qatar.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson travelled to the tiny nation for a second time for a lunch meeting with 37-yearold Emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani before heading back to Washington later in the day.
Tillerson and his Qatari counterpart appeared before cameras in the capital, Doha, but ignored reporters’ questions before he left. Tillerson, a former ExxonMobil CEO with deep experience in the Gulf, has been shuttling between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and mediator Kuwait since Monday trying to repair a rift that is dividing some of America’s most important Mideast allies.
Officials have downplayed expectations and say any resolution could be months away.
Earlier, Tillerson visited Kuwait, a mediator in the diplomatic crisis, and met the country’s foreign minister.
Tillerson and Shaikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah reviewed efforts to resolve the row during the meeting held at Bayan Palace, the official KUNA news agency reported.
Tillerson’s clearest achievement has been to secure a memorandum of understanding with Qatar to strengthen its counterterrorism efforts and address shortfalls terrorism funding.
The four countries severed diplomatic ties and cut sea, land and air links with Qatar over its support for terrorism and extremist ideologies.
The four countries have submitted a list of 13 demands for in policing Qatar to comply that includes shutting down Al Jazeera news channel, limiting ties with regional rival Iran and expelling troops from Turkey.
Qatar has provided aid to terrorists group such as the Muslim Brotherhood.