News / Foreign Policy

US questions Saudi concerns over Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism

Tuesday, 20 June 2017 7:21 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 20 June 2017 9:16 PM ]

US President Donald Trump (C) and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (R) and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) pose for a group photo during the Arabic Islamic American Summit at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The United States questions the Saudi and Emirati governments’ true motive in regard to war on terrorism, saying it is “mystified” by their failure to present details about the diplomatic crisis involving Qatar.

"The more the time goes by, the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday.

Nauert (pictured below) made the comments over two weeks after Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies imposed an embargo on Qatar, citing its support for terrorism.

"Now that it has been more than two weeks since the embargo started we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the Qataris nor to the public the details about the claims they are making toward Qatar," she said.

"At this point we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatar's alleged support for terrorism? Or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the (P)GCC [Persian Gulf Cooperation Council] countries?"

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is scheduled to visit the US next week to discuss the blockade imposed on Qatar’s economy as well as Doha’s fight against terrorism.

At a press conference in the capital earlier in the day, Sheikh Mohammed (pictured above) said Qatar was ready to engage in a dialogue after the blockade is lifted, highlighting Kuwait’s mediation.

Qatar's state TV, meanwhile, showed Turkish troops, who arrived in the capital Sunday in a show of support for the Qatari government in the wake of Saudi efforts to isolate it.

Read More:

Saudi-Turkish relations deteriorate over Qatar

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut their diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar earlier this month, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, an allegation rejected by the Qatari government.

Trump recently signed an arms deal worth $110 billion with the Saudis, despite warnings he could be accused of being complicit in the regime’s war crimes in neighboring Yemen and its support for terrorism.

Nauert's comments run counter to the president's rash expression of support for Riyadh in the aftermath of cutting ties with Doha.

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