US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday wrapped up a four-day mission to the Gulf with little sign of progress in resolving the diplomatic crisis pitting Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar. They have imposed sanctions on Doha, including closing its only land border, refusing Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from Qatar. Tillerson arrived back in Doha after meeting Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman 24 hours earlier. On Tuesday, speaking in Doha, Tillerson described Qatar as being “reasonable” in its dispute with the four states. “Underneath the surface however… the US – including Tillerson – likely sees significant strategic and lucrative benefits to any long-running stand-off between these states.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 13, 2017 19:52 UTC