Kuwait: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday called for an end to the more than seven-month dispute between a Saudi-led bloc and Qatar, warning it is harming regional security.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt broke off ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting extremists and being too close to Iran, Riyadh’s arch-rival.
Qatar denies the allegations and accuses the bloc of aiming to incite regime change.
Tillerson, in Kuwait for a meeting of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, said the United States was working to settle the Gulf dispute.
“This type of division is counterproductive to the security of the region,” the top US diplomat said, speaking alongside his Kuwaiti counterpart at the meeting.
Qatar is home to the largest US airbase in the Middle East, Al-Udeid, which houses some 10,000 American troops and has been key in the war against IS.
AFP