Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday the U.S. doesn’t believe demands made by four Arab nations to Qatar are feasible as he tried to de-escalate tensions between the Gulf nations.
“Qatar has begun its careful review and consideration of a series of requests presented by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE,” Tillerson said in a statement. “While some of the elements will be very difficult for Qatar to meet, there are significant areas which provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to resolution.”
Tillerson added: “A productive next step would be for each of the countries to sit together and continue this conversation. We believe our allies and partners are stronger when they are working together towards one goal which we all agree is stopping terrorism and countering extremism. Each country involved has something to contribute to that effort. A lowering of rhetoric would also help ease the tension.”
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain began a joint boycott of Qatar due to its alleged support for Muslim extremist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah. The four nations issued numerous demands to Qatar, including shuttering the pan-Arabic Al Jazeera TV network, pulling back its relations with Iran, closing a Turkish military base and paying reparations.
Qatar, which has disputed the claims that it backs extremist groups, has said it will not agree to talks until the boycott is lifted. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has stood by Qatar, calling the demands an attack on Qatar’s sovereignty.
The Arab nations, most of whom have state-controlled media, have long bristled over the Al Jazeera’s independent coverage of international affairs in the region.
