U.S., Qatar sign anti-terror deal to help end dispute
DOHA, Qatar — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sealed a dealTuesday 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.
Itwas 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 theworks for a while and included some steps that have already been taken.
“Together, the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborateandshare information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe,” he said following talks with 37year-old Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Tillerson also gave besieged Qatar some political backing ahead of his talks inSaudiArabiaonWednesday. “I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable,” he said earlier in the day.
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 DonaldTrump’s claim to be ramping up the fight against terror financing.
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 intraGulf 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, and expressed “bitterness” over what he called “unprecedented developments,” without elaborating.
Tillerson, a former oilman with years of experience in the region, 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, theUnited 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 13point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.
The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets including AlJazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.
Qatar strenuously denies supporting extremist groups and has rejected the demands.
It does, however, at least indirectly support Islamist groups that other nations view as terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Qatar has hosted senior Hamas officials and is the largest financial patron to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Underscoring that uneasy position, Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Amadi signed an agreement Tuesday with a Palestinian contractor to build eight residential buildings in Gaza. He said his country would continue to support development projects in the seaside territory — aid Qatar argues is for the Palestinian people rather thanHamas.