Mattis meets Sultan Qaboos,

▶ Sultan tells US defence secretary he will aim for solutions in both cases

US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis discussed a range of issues with Sultan Qaboos of Oman, including the rift between some Arab countries and Qatar and the war in Yemen.

During talks, Mr Mattis, who arrived in Afghanistan yesterday after official visits to Muscat and Manama, also addressed ways to strengthen US-Omani relations.

“The defence secretary was keen to repair differences that separate the GCC countries,” said an Omani foreign ministry source, referring to the Arab countries that have cut all ties with Doha over allegations it supports extremists.

“Oman agreed to mediate with members of the GCC to solve the problems and bring back the lost unity in the regional alliance.”

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain – GCC members – and Egypt severed ties with Qatar, also a GCC member, on June 5 last year. Oman, part of the council, has remained neutral on the issue.

The two officials also discussed the war in Yemen, where an Arab coalition is fighting against Iran-backed Houthi rebels on behalf of the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

In March 2015, member states of the GCC – with the exception of Oman – issued a joint statement that they would intervene in the Yemen war at the request of the Hadi government.

“The sultan assured Mr Mattis that he would try to arbitrate a peaceful conclusion in Yemen to stop further bloodshed,” the source said.

Mr Mattis arrived in Kabul yesterday on a surprise visit, two weeks after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani unveiled a plan to launch talks with the Taliban.

The insurgents have so far given no formal response to Kabul’s offer for negotiations, but Mr Mattis said some insurgent leaders had expressed an interest in the discussions.

“It may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop, that would be a bridge too far, but there are elements of the Taliban clearly interested in talking to the Afghan government,” he said aboard a military jet.

Mr Ghani’s peace plan includes eventually recognising the Taliban as a political party.

The insurgent group has said it is prepared to negotiate, but only with the US and not with the Kabul government, which it described last week as illegitimate.

“Right now we want the Afghans to lead and to provide

Oman agreed to mediate with members of the GCC to solve the problems and revive the lost unity in the regional alliance JIM MATTIS US Secretary of Defence

the substance of the reconciliation effort,” Mr Mattis said.

Mr Ghani’s offer came as civilian casualties soared in recent months. The Taliban, Afghanistan’s biggest militant group, claimed 472 attacks in January alone, according to the Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, a research group in Washington.

Mr Mattis said the jump in attacks on civilians was an indication that a pressured Taliban is unable to conduct broader, ground-taking operations.