Inside Story

Can the United States end the blockade of Qatar?

America’s top diplomat is back in the Gulf trying again to heal the rift between Arab allies.

It is a case of try, and try again, for America’s top diplomat. The US secretary of state is back in the Gulf, reviving mediation efforts in a bid to end the four-month-long Gulf crisis.

Rex Tillerson is visiting Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of a regional tour. His last visit was in July for intense talks, but no deal was made. Tillerson is playing down the chances of a quick solution in his latest shuttle diplomacy.

He is already been blaming the Saudi-led group of countries for the lack of progress.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June, and imposed a land, sea and air travel blockade on the country.

The Saudi-led group accuses Qatar of supporting “terrorism”, an allegation strongly denied by Doha.

What will it take to find a solution? And does the Saudi-led quartet want to talk?

Presenter: Jane Dutton

Guests:

Fahad bin Mohamed al-Attiyah – Qatari ambassador to Russia

Andreas Krieg – assistant professor, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London

Khalil Jahshan – executive director, Arab Centre of Washington