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