Some Western officials worry that Gulf states, dismayed at effective Russian air support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, could supply such weapons. Qatar was determined to carry on, Sheikh Mohammed said, sipping tea in his spacious office on the ministry's top floor overlooking the Gulf. "We want to have the US with us, for sure, they have been our historic ally," Sheikh Mohammed said. Qatar and other Gulf states believe the nationalist Sunni rebels are needed to build a stable Syria. Gulf states deny this and Sheikh Mohammed said any group that shared the values of Al-Qaeda was neither effective nor useful.

Source: Egypt Independent November 28, 2016 10:59 UTC