Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani (Photo: AFP/VNA) Speaking at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC on Thursday, Al Thani said Qatar is still open for a dialogue, supports the Kuwaiti Emir’s initiative, and will attend the US-brokered meeting in Camp David. He said any solution to the dispute between the GCC countries must be premised on the principles of equality between the nations of the region. The tensions in the Gulf region have been escalated since last June as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and imposed a land, sea, and air blockade after accusing it of supporting terrorism and extremism. Qatar has strongly denied the allegations and called other countries’ movement act of its sovereign and independent diplomacy interference.
Vietnam ready for ASEAN summit By Thu Nguyet - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC - Vietnam is well-prepared for the 16th ASEAN Summit, said Pham Quang Vinh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vietnam's ASEAN SOM leader. He said ASEAN members had passed plans for the organization's activities in the country this year. According to Vinh, ASEAN officials agreed to a tentative program, including activities, discussion topics and a list of documents, which group leader's still need to pass. At the summit, leaders will discuss ways to develop the ASEAN Community over the next five years, including implementing the ASEAN…... [read more]
President Barack Obama will seek to convince Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia on May 14 that the United States is committed to their security despite deep concern among Arab leaders about US efforts to broker a nuclear deal with Iran. During a rare, high-profile summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Obama will meet with representatives from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, to discuss security cooperation. Tension over US policy toward Tehran, Syria and the Arab Spring uprisings will loom over the meetings, which have…... [read more]
U.S. President Donald Trump offered on Wednesday to help resolve a worsening diplomatic crisis between Qatar and other Arab powers as the United Arab Emirates invoked the possibility of an economic embargo on Doha over its alleged support of terrorism. In his second intervention in the row in as many days, Trump urged action against terrorism in a call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, a White House statement said. "The President offered to help the parties resolve their differences, including through a meeting at the White House if necessary," it said. Trump, in a later call…... [read more]
DOHA: The diplomatic crisis sweeping the Gulf could invigorate a campaign by critics of Qatar to strip Doha of the 2022 World Cup, experts said Monday (Jun 5). Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen were among those to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on the grounds that Doha supported extremist groups "that aim to destabilise the region". One of the areas that could feel the impact is Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, football's biggest tournament, in seven years' time. "This is a massive escalation in pressure on Qatar," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a Gulf analyst with…... [read more]
The political crisis in the Gulf is putting at risk business deals worth $2 billion in Arab countries that have cut ties with Qatar, an economic official in the emirate said Monday. Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida, chief executive of the Qatar Financial Centre, said the majority of the contracts at risk -- some $1.5 billion (1.3 billion euros) -- were in the area of construction. The level of exposure for businesses from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has been negatively impacted alongside that of Qatari businesses in the current crisis. "We sincerely believe that the impact is…... [read more]
