U.S., Qatar patch up ties amidst lingering rifts over Trump accusation

    Source: Xinhua| 2018-01-31 11:14:04|Editor: Chengcheng
    Video PlayerClose

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- In their first session of strategic dialogue, the United States and Qatar outlined the areas for their future cooperation to mend ties disrupted by the Gulf diplomatic rift that was fueled by Trump's accusation against Doha.

    U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis co-hosted at the Department of State the High-Level Opening Session of the Inaugural U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue with their Qatari counterparts, namely, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Defense Minister Khalid bin Muhammad al-Atiyah.

    During Tuesday's event, the United States and Qatar signed multiple memorandums of understanding between the two countries on issues including human trafficking and agreed to create a bilateral group on labor practices. On Monday, the two countries signed an agreement on civil aviation.

    Speaking of the current diplomatic standoff between Qatar and four Middle East nations, Tillerson said the United States remains concerned about the Gulf dispute as it "nears the eight-month mark."

    "This dispute has had direct negative consequences economically and militarily for those involved, as well as the United States. We are concerned by the rhetoric and propaganda employed in the region, playing out daily in Arab mainstream and social media," he said, calling on all parties concerned to "minimize rhetoric, exercise restraint to avoid further escalation and work toward a resolution."

    For his part, Mattis urged the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to recover its "cohesion" so that Gulf nations could "return to mutual support through a peaceful resolution that provides for enhanced regional stability and prosperity."

    In response, Al Thani said Qatar and its people have been "illegally and unjustifiably" blockaded.

    "This blockade disrupts the joint efforts in providing stability for the region," he said, adding that Qatar will host the second round of U.S.-Qatar Strategic Dialogue in Doha next year.

    The nation's defense chief also said that "the brave people of Qatar stood firmly with their leader in face of the mounting hostility directed toward their country."

    "Since our inception, there has been those who wish to impose their domain over us," al-Atiyah said. "Qatar did not waver then and it will not waver now ... They refused to be manipulated or used as a pawn in an arbitrary and pointless conflict."

    Last year, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 that they had severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on it, accusing Doha of "supporting terrorism" and "undermining regional security" by seeking closer ties with Iran. Libya, Yemen and the Maldives followed suit.

    Qatar strongly denied that it funded or supported extremist groups, saying the accusations were "unjustified" and "baseless."

    The standoff, rather than showing any signs of abating, has been exacerbated by remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump, who said in June that Qatar had funded terrorism "at a very high level."

    U.S. relations with Qatar have long been complicated since the Gulf state is also a close military partner. Qatar hosts the largest concentrated military presence in the Middle East at the Al Udeid Air base, which is the center for U.S. air operations over Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.

    Mattis said the base was "critical" in the battle to defeat the Islamic State (IS) and plays a role in the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

    TOP STORIES
    EDITOR’S CHOICE
    MOST VIEWED
    EXPLORE XINHUANET
    010020070750000000000000011100001369385061
    主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久久久亚洲av无码专区喷水| 免费观看成人毛片| 97人伦影院a级毛片| 日产精品卡一卡2卡三卡乱码工厂 日产精品卡二卡三卡四卡乱码视频 | 在线观看免费黄网站| 久久午夜精品视频| 欧美最猛黑人xxxx黑人猛交98 | 人妻免费一区二区三区最新| 野外做受又硬又粗又大视频| 国产精品欧美一区二区| 一本大道AV伊人久久综合| 日韩国产免费一区二区三区| 亚洲日韩国产成网在线观看| 精品乱码一区内射人妻无码| 国产人与动zozo| 3d性欧美动漫精品xxxx| 够够了太深了h1v3| 中文字幕影片免费在线观看| 最近最新2019中文字幕4| 亚洲精品www| 粉嫩小仙女扒开双腿自慰| 国产三级日产三级韩国三级 | 亚洲黄网在线观看| 翁房中春意浓王易婉艳 | 欧美日韩国产精品| 人妻老妇乱子伦精品无码专区| 老公和他朋友一块上我可以吗| 国产性猛交╳XXX乱大交| 曰批视频免费40分钟试看天天| 天天拍天天干天天操| 中文午夜人妻无码看片| 日韩毛片免费在线观看| 亚洲国产最大av| 波多野结衣被绝伦强在线观看| 再深点灬舒服灬太大| 色偷偷人人澡人人爽人人模| 国产拍拍拍无码视频免费| 2021日产国产麻豆| 在线中文字幕观看| www.99热| 年轻的妈妈在完整有限中字第4 |