US: Qatar must change after history of backing extremist groups
US Secretary of State Tillerson said during a press conference on Friday that Washington will back Kuwait’s mediation efforts between Qatar and Gulf states but said the former must stop backing extremist groups in the region, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
Tillerson described Qatar as having a “history” in backing to terrorist groups, urging Doha to change its course.
US Secretary of State Tillerson said during a press conference on Friday that Washington will back Kuwait’s mediation efforts between Qatar and Gulf states. (File photo: AP)
He also said that Qatar has achieved some progress in curbing support to terrorists, but it needs to do more.
The US official lent his weight to Kuwaiti mediation efforts, and said Washington will back these diplomatic efforts.
Saudi Arabia gave Qatar a list of 10 demands it must meet, after Riyadh and other Arab powers severed ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Kuwaiti mediators, who were in Riyadh on Tuesday, were informed of Saudi demands, which included cutting off all links with Iran and expelling resident members of Palestinian militant group Hamas and the pan-Arab Muslim Brotherhood.
Tillerson also urged for calm and dialogue to solve the tensions with Qatar.
He called on Saudi Arabia and its regional allies to ease their blockade imposed on Qatar, saying it was harming the regional struggle against extremism.
Tillerson added that Qatar must do more to crack down on support for terrorism but that the crisis must not disrupt action against ISIS.
(With AFP)
Source:english.alarabiya.net