Trump offers to help resolve Gulf crisis, UAE tightens squeeze on Qatar

[webfact]

Trump offers to help resolve Gulf crisis, UAE tightens squeeze on Qatar

By William Maclean and Tom Finn

 

FILE PHOTO: (Front R-L) Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, U.S. President Donald Trump, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani pose for a photo during Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

 

DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump offered on Wednesday to help resolve a worsening diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab powers as the United Arab Emirates invoked the possibility of an economic embargo on Doha over its alleged support of terrorism.

 

In his second intervention in the row in as many days, Trump urged action against terrorism in a call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, a White House statement said.

 

"The President offered to help the parties resolve their differences, including through a meeting at the White House if necessary," it said.

 

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on Monday over long-standing allegations that Doha is courting Iran, which they deem the region's biggest external threat, and supporting Islamist groups, seen as the biggest internal danger.

 

The four countries also cut transport links to tiny gas-rich Qatar, disrupting food and other supplies and deepening uncertainty about the future of trade and investment ties.

 

In a sign of economic damage from the dispute, Standard & Poor's downgraded Qatar's debt on Wednesday as the country's riyal currency fell to an 11-year low amid signs that portfolio investment funds were flowing out because of the rift.

 

S&P cut its long-term rating of Qatar by one notch to AA- from AA and put the rating on CreditWatch with negative implications, meaning there was a significant chance of a further downgrade.

 

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told Reuters there would be more economic curbs on Qatar if necessary and said Doha needed to make ironclad commitments to change what critics say is a policy on funding Islamist militants.

He later told France 24 television that any further steps could take the form of "a sort of embargo on Qatar".

 

REGIONAL TENSIONS

 

Reiterating comments by Gulf officials, Gargash told Reuters there was no plan to seek a change in Qatar's leadership, only a change in its policies.

 

Regional tensions, already high following the diplomatic dispute, ratcheted up further after militants attacked targets in Tehran on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people.

 

Iran blamed arch-foe Saudi Arabia for the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State militant group. Riyadh denied any involvement.

 

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Gulf states could resolve a row with Qatar among themselves without outside help.

 

"We have not asked for mediation, we believe this issue can be dealt with among the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council," he told a news conference with his German counterpart during a visit to Berlin that was broadcast on Saudi state television.

 

Jubeir declined to confirm a list of 10 demands published by Al Jazeera, which included shutting down the Doha-based news channel, but added that Qatar knew what it needed to do to restore normal relations.

 

Meanwhile Kuwait's ruler Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah continued a regional effort to mediate the crisis, shuttling from the UAE en route to Qatar on Wednesday evening, a Kuwaiti diplomat told Reuters.

 

But efforts to defuse the worst crisis among Gulf Arabs for two decades showed no immediate progress.

 

The UAE threatened anyone publishing expressions of sympathy towards Doha with up to 15 years in prison and barring entry to Qataris.

 

TURKISH SUPPORT

 

Qatar has backed Islamist movements but vehemently denies supporting terrorism. It drew some support on Wednesday when Turkey's parliament approved a draft bill allowing its troops to be deployed to a military base in Qatar. Turkish exporters have also pledged to provide food and water to Qatar if needed.

 

Trump's defence secretary, James Mattis, spoke to his Qatari counterpart to express commitment to the Gulf region's security. Qatar hosts 8,000 U.S. military personnel at al Udeid, the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East and a launchpad for U.S.-led strikes on Islamic State jihadists.

 

The sudden isolation has spurred Qatar to hold talks with Turkey, Iran and others to secure food and water supplies, said a Qatari official. He said there were enough grain supplies for four weeks and Qatar also had large strategic food reserves.

 

Abu Dhabi port authorities in the UAE have eased curbs on non-Qatari oil tankers going to and from Qatar, according to industry sources and shipping circulars seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

 

Bans on Doha's fleet using regional ports and anchorages are threatening to halt some of its exports and disrupt those of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

 

UAE-based newspaper Gulf News and pan-Arab channel Al-Arabiya reported the crackdown on expressions of sympathy with Qatar.

 

"Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias towards Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form," Gulf News quoted UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi as saying.

 

On top of a possible jail term, offenders could also be hit with a fine of at least 500,000 dirhams (105,043.64 pounds), the newspaper said, citing a statement to Arabic-language media.

 

Slogans against and in support of Qatar have dominated Twitter in Arabic. Newspapers and television channels in the region have also been engaged in a war of words.

 

COMPLEXITY

 

UAE airlines Etihad and Emirates said all travellers holding Qatari passports were currently prohibited from travelling to or transiting through the emirates.

 

They announced details of the restrictions after Australian carrier and Emirates partner Qantas Airways <QAN.AX> said it would not fly Qataris to Dubai because of the bans.

 

Foreigners residing in Qatar in possession of a Qatari residence visa would also not be eligible for visas on arrival in the UAE, an Etihad spokesman said in an email.

 

Gargash, the UAE minister, told Reuters in an interview it would be very complex to disentangle the "very diverse" business ties between Qatar and its neighbours but suggested this might be necessary.

 

"You cannot rule out further measures. We hope that cooler heads will prevail, that wiser heads will prevail and we will not get to that."

 

"Tensions are still high and mediation efforts by fellow Gulf Cooperation Council state Kuwait have yet to lead to a concrete solution, so investors will likely remain on edge," said one Dubai-based trader.

 

(Reporting by Sylvia Westall, Hadeel Al Sayegh, Celine Aswad, David Dolan, Ron Saul; writing by Jeremy Gaunt; editing by Mark Heinrich and Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-08

[Rob13]

I thought peace in the ME was Jared's job.

[tomwct]

No, that was Obama's Job and Susan Rice, but all they did was apologize for what no one knows!

[darksidedog]

Well, we sure as hell don't want Donald getting involved. A couple of late night Tweets and the whole Middle East could be at each others throats.

[tomwct]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Well, we sure as hell don't want Donald getting involved. A couple of late night Tweets and the whole Middle East could be at each others throats.

The reason Qatar has been singled out as a sponsor of Terrorism is because President Trump said it's time to stop supporting Terrorism. Thank God President Trump got involved and maybe a step towards ME Peace, which will not happen if Qatar continues to support Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah & Iran. All very bad groups.

[Andaman Al]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Trump offers to help resolve Gulf crisis, UAE tightens squeeze on Qatar

He has got some neck! 24 hrs ago he takes credit for causing the problem with his moronic tweets, now he says he is happy to sort the problem out. This very public rift between the UAE, Saudi and Qatar will leave bad blood in the region for decades to come. The Saudis are playing Trump for a real sucker. It is too painful to watch.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Andaman Al

[darksidedog]

1 hour ago, tomwct said:

The reason Qatar has been singled out as a sponsor of Terrorism is because President Trump said it's time to stop supporting Terrorism. Thank God President Trump got involved and maybe a step towards ME Peace, which will not happen if Qatar continues to support Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah & Iran. All very bad groups.

Incorrect. Russian hackers who planted fake stories are the reason Qatar was singled out. Trump tried to claim credit for other countries taking action, even though he knew nothing whatsoever about the origins of the whole thing. It proves my earlier point. He goes off half cocked with rubbish, when he doesn't know what he is talking about and that can be very dangerous in international relations.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/russian-hackers-qatar-fake-news-gulf-diplomatic-row-fbi-doha-saudi-arabia-bahrain-uae-egypt-a7776446.html

[Scott]

Troll post and reply removed. 

[klauskunkel]

 

The Arab Boy Choir featuring Donaldo Trumparotti with a soprano solo for the discerning attendees, hit it Don!

[nausea]

"Fools rush in where ..." .

[Andaman Al]

10 minutes ago, nausea said:

"Fools rush in where ..." .

............there are no other suitably qualified candidates for election ?

[arminbkk]

I will await the news reports from the U.S. about protests there against the travel ban now imposed by UAE on a Muslim country.

[dexterm]

Sinister forces at work here. I strongly suspect Trump deliberately started this crisis or it received his tacit approval. The media and diplomatic attack on Qatar began almost immediately after Trump left.

 

Qatar has not been towing the line and has been punching above its weight in the region for a while through Al Jazeera supporting the Arab Spring, which of course upset the authoritarian Egypt, Saudis, Jordan and the UAE...nothing to do with any anti-terrorism pretexts.

 

I also think we are being softened up for a direct or proxy war with Iran. Bringing together all the parties in the region who stand to lose power  and influence with Iran on the ascendancy. Wars are good for deflecting attention from real issues.

 

"As the recently leaked emails of the Emirati ambassador to Washington confirmed, the UAE spent considerable resources lobbying US officials to endorse the 2013 military coup that brought a violent end to Egypt's revolutionary moment and the tenuous transition to democracy dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood's political party.

 

The Emirati ambassador was revealed to have coordinated closely with the most hawkish pro-Israel think-tanks in Washington to promote a view of the Middle East that posits the conservative monarchies, military dictatorships, and Israel as the bulwark against Iranian expansionism and Sunni Islamists.

 

For its perceived role in promoting the Muslim Brotherhood, hosting members of Hamas' political bureau, and taking a softer line on Iran, Qatar became a central target of the Saudi-Emirati-Israeli joint lobbying efforts."

 

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/analysis-qatar-gulf-crisis-terrorists-170607062029222.html

 

...very interesting read about what may actually be going on behind the facade in the region.

Edited June 8, 2017 by dexterm

[stevenl]

8 minutes ago, dexterm said:

Sinister forces at work here. I strongly suspect Trump deliberately started this crisis or it received his tacit approval. <snip>

Disagree, he simply has no clue of the consequences of his words and tweets.

[dexterm]

17 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Disagree, he simply has no clue of the consequences of his words and tweets.

You may well be right. Maybe he is just being played. Time will tell. But if this particular assault on Qatar does escalate into a war against Iran, it will certainly be very convenient for Trump's allies.

 

When he got off the plane from Saudi his comments were all anti Iran...even though they had just held reasonably democratic elections.

 

“I wanted you to know how much we appreciate the American change in policy on Iran,” Netanyahu said as the two leaders delivered joint statements at the prime minister's residence here, but took no questions from reporters.

"We can hold back Iran's march in this region and thwart Iran's unbridled ambition," Netanyahu added.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/trumps-first-foreign-trip/donald-trump-arrives-israel-will-push-peace-process-n762816

 

re Trump's visit to Saudi...
“Iran is the grand prize here,” said one member of the Saudi royal family, who declined to be named. “Everything else is bells and whistles.”

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/19/saudi-arabia-trump-visit-us-relations

[Basil B]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Trump offers to help resolve Gulf crisis, UAE tightens squeeze on Qatar

Holly mackerels...

 

That's like try to put a fire out with petrol. 

[Credo]

10 minutes ago, dexterm said:

When he got off the plane from Saudi his comments were all anti Iran...even though they had just held reasonably democratic elections

That is because that would make his hosts very happy and would have no impact at home.   

 

It's pretty much like his chants about 'build that wall', which up to now hasn't seen a brick laid.   

 

 

[Thaidream]

Trump is playing a dangerous game here and it shows his complete ignorance of foreign issues especially in the Middle East. Qatar houses a huge American base and also the US Central Command Headquarters- all of which is instrumental in fighting ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.  Why would Qatar support the American Base if it was indeed supporting terrorism itself. Trump is being played- the Saudi's are afraid of Iran and its power-yet Iran is also a supporter of defeating  ISIS and a natural ally of the US in this matter.

 

The best thing Trump and his minions can do is to shut up and engage in quiet diplomacy and try and defuse what is happening.  If Trump comes out forcefully to support the Saudi actions- he puts American forces at risk in the loss of the Qatar Base and a setback in crushing ISIS.

[ResandePohm]

Please explain to how Trump thinks he can mediate in this ME crisis when he has already taken sides by agreeing with the countries who are against Qatar. It will be best for the ME and the world if he keeps well away from it all. He may well cause the Qataris to kick out the Americans fr.om their base there.  He would have done better to keep his mouth shut.

 

Oh sorry I forgot that is an impossibility for him.

[Rob13]

1 minute ago, ResandePohm said:

Please explain to how Trump thinks he can mediate in this ME 

 

 

 The guy can't even mediate the differences among his own staff. How's he going to settle an age old dispute among Arab factions.

[Krataiboy]

Qatar, which hosts the biggest US military base in the Middle East, made the potentially fatal mistake of flirting with the Russians. The Saudis sheiks are clearly obeying White House instructions to stir up a sh-t storm calculated to bring the Qatari leadership back in line.

 

If not, they could end up suffering the same grisly fate as former unpopular (with the White House) rulers such as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi - deposed, despatched and currently kicking up cactus in some corner of a foreign field.

 

For the Saudis - who, despite all the deceptive tinsely trappings of a civilised society,  still revel in public beheadings and stone women to death for the "crime" of adultery - to throw up their hands in horror at Qatari terrorism is as bizarre as it is laughable.

 

The immensely rich sheiks of this US vassal state are, (as even the monumentally ill-informed Donald Trump must be aware) the world's biggest supporters of Islamic terrorism - a highly-marketable and ubiquitous commodity which has proved invaluable to the US in rolling out its leaked programme for regime change across the region.

 

Al Qaeda and its even more bloodthirsty offshoot IS are two of the better-known bands of jihadist brethren hired to spread the Saudis particularly brutal and repressive Wahabi brand of Sunni Islam throughout the Middle East and far beyond.

 

While the world celebrates the terrorism red card shown to the minor league players of Qatari, Trump has boosted the firepower of Premier Division players in Riyadh with a ground-breaking 320-billion-dollar US arms deal phased over 20 years.

 

Judging by the success of Saudi warplanes used in support of the US-favoured side in the Yemeni civil war - where 10,000 civilians have already been annihilated - it could be money well spent.

 

The size and duration of the US-Saudi arms pact has absolutely nothing to do, of course, with the two regimes shared ambition to replace the Syrian and Iranian regimes with new leaderships - pro-Western "progressives" eager to usher in the benefits of democracy and free-market capitalism of the kind currently being enjoyed by the inhabitants of failed states like "liberated" Libya and Iraq.

Edited June 8, 2017 by Krataiboy
error

[dunroaming]

6 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

 

The Arab Boy Choir featuring Donaldo Trumparotti with a soprano solo for the discerning attendees, hit it Don!

I notice in the picture that the two gentlemen either side of Trump are protecting their genitals.  Clearly they are aware of Trump's reputation as a genital grabber!

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Incorrect. Russian hackers who planted fake stories are the reason Qatar was singled out. Trump tried to claim credit for other countries taking action, even though he knew nothing whatsoever about the origins of the whole thing. It proves my earlier point. He goes off half cocked with rubbish, when he doesn't know what he is talking about and that can be very dangerous in international relations.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/russian-hackers-qatar-fake-news-gulf-diplomatic-row-fbi-doha-saudi-arabia-bahrain-uae-egypt-a7776446.html

 

Those damned Russian Hackers again! Everyone knows it's them trying to destabilize the world and influence every election. Who needs evidence - must be them. Read it in the papers.

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, Krataiboy said:

Qatar, which hosts the biggest US military base in the Middle East, made the potentially fatal mistake of flirting with the Russians. The Saudis sheiks are clearly obeying White House instructions to stir up a sh-t storm calculated to bring the Qatari leadership back in line.

 

If not, they could end up suffering the same grisly fate as former unpopular (with the White House) rulers such as Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi - deposed, despatched and currently kicking up cactus in some corner of a foreign field.

 

For the Saudis - who, despite all the deceptive tinsely trappings of a civilised society,  still revel in public beheadings and stone women to death for the "crime" of adultery - to throw up their hands in horror at Qatari terrorism is as bizarre as it is laughable.

 

The immensely rich sheiks of this US vassal state are, (as even the monumentally ill-informed Donald Trump must be aware) the world's biggest supporters of Islamic terrorism - a highly-marketable and ubiquitous commodity which has proved invaluable to the US in rolling out its leaked programme for regime change across the region.

 

Al Qaeda and its even more bloodthirsty offshoot IS are two of the better-known bands of jihadist brethren hired to spread the Saudis particularly brutal and repressive Wahabi brand of Sunni Islam throughout the Middle East and far beyond.

 

While the world celebrates the terrorism red card shown to the minor league players of Qatari, Trump has boosted the firepower of Premier Division players in Riyadh with a ground-breaking 320-billion-dollar US arms deal phased over 20 years.

 

Judging by the success of Saudi warplanes used in support of the US-favoured side in the Yemeni civil war - where 10,000 civilians have already been annihilated - it could be money well spent.

 

The size and duration of the US-Saudi arms pact has absolutely nothing to do, of course, with the two regimes shared ambition to replace the Syrian and Iranian regimes with new leaderships - pro-Western "progressives" eager to usher in the benefits of democracy and free-market capitalism of the kind currently being enjoyed by the inhabitants of failed states like "liberated" Libya and Iraq.

If only there were people who were so intelligent and capable that they could do what you contend. Look up stupidity and greed and Occam's Razor.

[dunroaming]

27 minutes ago, ilostmypassword said:

The Saudis sheiks are clearly obeying White House instructions

Really?

[maewang99]

he doesn't even tamper down the stupid stuff when a country is attacked by terrorism... two countries in the last few days... and with this latest tweet last night to the country that we stole their democracy.... with the Brits that instigated it and had taken their damn oil for decades.

he's a lunatic child.... "elderly child" as was used to describe the Shah that signed away Iranian oil.

 

he should be impeached just for this. he can't be but he should be.

the entire GOP is just as Chomsky has been saying.. a radical insurgency.

Trump was 7 years old at the time of the coup.... and acts today as if he were still 7.

 

doesn't he know these are people? 

 

and he tweets them with a message of disgusting stupidity.

 

the election extravaganza is over. it's not still TV show and twitter tweet time.....  real people are involved. some have just been killed. and billions of people are learning about this nutter THIS way? hellooooo? USA? helloo?

this is YOUR president. he ain't mine.




 

Edited June 8, 2017 by maewang99

[Redline]

He said he started it, and now he wants to resolve it~is that his new strategy?

[coulson]

Just saw this really funny yet appropriate post on instagram.

[Opl]

"DOHA (Bloomberg) -- Iran is on track to out-produce Qatar, the world’s biggest LNG exporter, at the vast natural gas deposit they share in the Persian Gulf. But as much as they might want, the Iranians won’t have much gas to export because they are likely to use most of the new production themselves."

http://www.worldoil.com/news/2017/3/16/iran-set-to-out-produce-qatar-at-worlds-biggest-gas-field

 

""Global demand for gas is expected to rise," Al Kaabi said. "There are no analysts who can say when demand for gas will wane. For oil, there are people who see peak demand in 2030, others in 2042, but for gas, demand is constantly growing."

http://www.worldoil.com/news/2017/4/3/qatar-to-drill-in-biggest-gas-field-after-12-year-freeze

 

"Feb 7 Oman and Iran have agreed to change the route of a planned undersea gas export pipeline, to avoid waters controlled by the United Arab Emirates, Iran's oil minister said on Tuesday after meeting his Omani counterpart in Tehran."

http://www.reuters.com/article/iran-oman-gas-idUSL5N1FS2ZK

 

[Prbkk]

17 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

 

The Arab Boy Choir featuring Donaldo Trumparotti with a soprano solo for the discerning attendees, hit it Don!

Just part of the chorus line for the forthcoming blockbuster...Trump: The Musical.