Saudi king welcomes Tillerson
US diplomat meets King Salman and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince before session with Arab foreign ministers
Saudi King Salman receives US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in Jeddah yesterday. Talks between the two came ahead of a meeting with foreign ministers of the four countries isolating Qatar over its support for extremism.
US secretary of state Rex Tillerson continues his shuttle diplomacy today as he heads back to Doha for a second visit this week.
Mr Tillerson had extensive meetings with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and the crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah yesterday as well as with the foreign ministers of the four countries boycotting Qatar.
The Saudi foreign ministry said that “all aspects of the Qatar Crisis were discussed”.
Mr Tillerson, however, made no statement as he continues to seek a resolution to the Qatar crisis now entering its sixth week. After Saudi Arabia, Mr Tillerson returned to Kuwait, his base since Monday.
The US secretary of state held an extended meeting with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE Bahrain and Egypt and the Kuwaiti minister of state for cabinet affairs, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah AlMubarak AlSabah.
A spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry said that “the meeting addressed the various aspects of the crisis with Qatar and ... the foreign minister [Samer Shoukry] explained Egypt’s concerns regarding Qatar’s support of terorism”.
In his meeting with the Saudi crown prince, Mr Tillerson said co-operation between the two countries was key and emphasised the importance of building on “the strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia”.
The crown prince said he was “full of trust that both countries will be able to overcome all of these challenges”.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar on June 5 over accusations that Doha is destabilising the region and refusing to cease its support of terrorism.
The quartet said diplomatic ties would be restored only if Doha accepted the 13 requirements presented to the Qataris on June 22. Qatari officials rejected the demands.
Mr Tillerson was in Jeddah after discussions with the emir of Qatar on Tuesday, where he signed an agreement between Washington and Doha to cut finance to terrorists.
Mr Tillerson said the agreement with Qatar laid out steps that Doha could take to disrupt the financing of terrorism and intensify counterterrorism commitments across the region.
“The agreement includes milestones to ensure both countries are accountable to their commitments,” he said.
Despite what seems like progress, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Qatar’s foreign minister, said the agreement signed with the US was not the result of pressure from the current crisis.
Yet the response from the four countries imposing the boycott was that nothing would change unless Doha complied with their demands.
The quartet lauded Mr Tillerson’s work but advised the international committee to monitor efforts because Doha “cannot be trusted”.
“The signing of the memorandum of understanding on combating the financing of terrorism between the US and Qatar authorities came as a result of repeated pressure and demands over the past years on Qatar [by the four countries and their partners] to stop supporting terrorism,” according to a statement from the quartet.
Hours after Mr Tillerson arrived in Kuwait on Monday night on his shuttle mediation, documents were leaked showing a confidential agreement between GCC states, that the boycotting countries are claiming Qatar breached. This alleged breach is one of the main reasons behind the crisis.
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed, Kuwait’s monarch and chief mediator in the dispute, said yesterday that despite the bitterness, he remained hopeful an agreement would be reached in “our Gulf home”.
The Riyadh Agreement, leaked on Monday, showed the GCC countries had signed agreements in 2013 and 2014 committing them to stop funding extremism and pledging non-interference in the domestic affairs of other members.
Both sides of the conflict have accused the other of breaking the agreement.
Mr Tillerson, who calls himself “a friend to the region”, met Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim, in Doha on Tuesday.
Alongside Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, the secretary of state said: “The United States has one goal: drive terrorism off the face of the Earth. I am hopeful we can make some progress to begin to bring this to a point of resolution.”
Now in its second month, the boycott imposed by the Arab quartet on June 5 shows no signs of letting up.
Mr Tillerson is shuttling between the Gulf countries involved in the crisis and Kuwait, who has taken on the role of chief mediator in the dispute.
His mediation efforts, if successful, will be considered the secretary of state’s first material success since assuming the role in February.
Kuwait’s ruler said that despite the bitterness he was hopeful agreement would be reached in ‘our Gulf home’