US urges dialogue to ease Qatar crisis
Diplomats hope mediation will cool diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Gulf rivals.
WASHINGTON — Diplomats expressed hope June 6 that mediation efforts could ease the standoff between US Gulf allies, despite a series of incendiary tweets from US President Donald Trump.
But it was not clear whether Kuwaiti mediation efforts on June 6 had managed to cool off the day-old rift between Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their Arab allies on one side and tiny Qatar, diplomats said.
US officials also sought to bring together the erstwhile allies in the fight against the Islamic State (IS), even as their commander in chief appeared to side with the Saudis and Emiratis in their feud with Doha.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking to reporters in New Zealand on June 6, urged dialogue to resolve the crisis. “We are hopeful that the parties can resolve this through dialogue, and we encourage that, that they do sit together and find a way to resolve whatever the differences are that have led to this decision,” Tillerson said.
