US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said today that they did not expect a decision by some Gulf countries to sever ties with Qatar to affect the fight against terrorism but urged them to address their differences.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar today, accusing it of supporting terrorism, in an unprecedented breach between the most powerful members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The coordinated move dramatically escalates a dispute over Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and adds accusations that Doha even backs the agenda of regional arch-rival Iran.
I do not expect that this will have any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified – the unified – fight against terrorism in the region or globally
Tillerson told reporters in Sydney after meetings between Australian and US foreign and defence ministers.
Read: Gulf states, US to ink agreement against terror financing
The region plays an important role for the US military in the fight against Daesh. Bahrain houses the US Navy’s Fifth fleet, which patrols the seas of the Middle East and Central Asia, while Qatar is home to the Al Udeid Airbase, from where the United States carries out airstrikes against militants in the region.
Tillerson urged the Gulf Cooperation Council nations to sort out their differences and said that the United States was willing to play a role in helping the countries address their differences.
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