US secretary of state Mike Pompeo is intensifying Washington’s efforts to end the Qatar dispute as it approaches its one-year mark on June 5. He called his Qatari counterpart on Wednesday, urging to see “the dispute eased and eventually resolved, as it [currently] benefits Iran.”
The State Department said that Mr Pompeo spoke with Qatari foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and “reaffirmed US commitment to working with all of our GCC partners to ensure designations are fully enforced and that our partners’ financial systems are not exploited by terrorists and illicit actors.”
After the Arab Quartet boycotted Qatar, Doha took steps to designate terrorist entities and to curb terror financing.
Mr Pompeo’s emphasis on Iran follows the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal. A senior US official told The National last week that Washington is looking for a “united front” among its Gulf partners in countering Iran.
It also follows a report by The Telegraph on Sunday quoting US security officials who urged Qatar to stop funding pro-Iranian militants. One US official told the paper that a “number of senior Qatari government officials have developed cordial relations with senior figures in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as well as a number of Iranian-sponsored terrorist organisations.”
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Read more:
Friendship thrives as UAE foreign minister meets US secretary of state
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According to the Washington Post, Qatari officials in April 2017 appeared to consent to payments totalling at least $275 million to free nine members of the royal family and 16 other Qatari nationals. The recipients included among others Iran’s IRGC and Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, but Doha denies paying any ransom to terrorist groups.
Now, as the US readies for more economic pressure on Iran, it is also looking at joint efforts by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to impose sanctions and minimise trade relations with Tehran.
Ideally the US would like to see the Qatar dispute resolved before a tentative Camp David summit planned for September. The US want Gulf partners, Jordan and Egypt to attend as one bloc at the summit.
But in the interim, the US is also looking at minimum steps to ease the Qatar dispute. For the boycotting states (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt), however, Doha has to take concrete steps before any easing of measures happens.
Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir said during his visit to Washington last March that Qatar would need to go back to its 2013 commitments under the Riyadh agreement.
He named terror financing, radicalisation, incitement, support for extremist clerics among list of problems with Qatar. “We are not in a hurry” Mr Jubeir said on ending the boycott, as the emphasis is on bringing tangible results in curbing the support for extremism.
Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20LEAGUE%202
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)