Washington Wants Qatar to Respond to Neighbors’ Concerns - Tillerson

The United States is calling on Qatar to respond to the concerns of its Arab neighbors, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — He said that Emir Tamim ben Hamad Al Thani of Qatar has made noticeable progress in combating terror financing, but he must put more effort into the fight against terrorism as soon as possible.

"The Emir of Qatar has made progress in halting financial support and expelling terrorist elements from his country. But he must do more and he must do it more quickly," Tillerson stated.

"We call on Qatar to be responsive to the concerns of its neighbors," Tillerson said in a press conference.

The rift that has emerged between Qatar and Arab states in the Gulf Cooperation Council is troubling to the United States, he said.

"The blockade is hindering US military actions in the region and the campaign against ISIS [Daesh]," Tillerson told reporters.

The United States urges Qatar and Arab countries to start calm and effective negotiations with clear understanding of the accountability of all parties involved in the crisis, he said.

He also called on the Gulf nations led by Saudi Arabia to ease the blockade of Qatar.

"We call on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to ease the blockade against Qatar."

On June 5, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic relations with Qatar. The states accused Qatar of supporting terrorist groups, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist movement, as well as of interfering in other countries' domestic affairs. Libya made a similar decision. Yemen cut diplomatic relations citing Doha's links with Houthis. The Maldives took the same step, citing extremism and terrorism concerns. Mauritius joined the boycott. Mauritania broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar while Jordan downgraded ties with the country on June 6. The Comoros joined the campaign on June 7.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations of Doha's interference in other countries' domestic affairs and expressed regret over the decision of the Gulf States to cut off the diplomatic ties with it.