UPDATE 1-Qatar sees 'small progress' in resolving Gulf dispute, still believes in GCC
- Country:
- Qatar
There has been small progress in resolving a bitter dispute between Qatar and some of its neighbors, the Gulf state's foreign minister said on Saturday, just days after its premiere visited Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of backing terrorism. Doha denies the charge and accuses its neighbors of seeking to curtail its sovereignty.
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani attended an annual Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, its highest representation at the meeting since the dispute erupted in June 2017. Asked whether there was progress at the meeting of regional leaders, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Reuters at the Doha Forum in Qatar that there have been "small progress, just a little progress".
The premier's visit followed an intensification of efforts to resolve the row including unannounced Qatar-Saudi talks in October. There was no public mention of the 2-1/2 year dispute at the summit. The row has shattered the GCC alliance, a bloc of Sunni-ruled Arab monarchies in the Gulf that have close ties with the United States, including hosting American military bases.
Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi said the world's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter remains "a big believer of the GCC". The United States and Kuwait have tried to mediate the dispute that has undermined Washington's efforts to form a united front against Iran, which is locked in a struggle for regional supremacy with Saudi Arabia.
"We hope they can work out their issues amongst them because I do think there are bigger regional security issues that everyone needs to be unified on," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Speaking alongside the Qatari finance minister, Mnuchin praised Qatari efforts at combating illicit financing of terrorism.
"I think they have made an enormous effort in this region on this issue," he said at the Doha Forum.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ALSO READ
Increasing deposits in Pakistan’s central bank among Saudi Arabia’s USD 5 billion plan: report
Blinken spoke to Turkish, Chinese, Saudi Arabian counterparts on avoiding escalation in Middle East
Iran attack on Israel disrupts flight schedules for major Arab airlines
Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh's killer shot dead by gunmen in Pakistan
Pakistan: Sarabjit Singh's killer seriously injured in shooting in Lahore