Sunday, October 22, 2017

Inside Story: Can the United States End the Blockade of Qatar?


It is a case of try and try again for America’s top diplomat. The US Secretary of State‘s 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 United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June, and imposed a land, sea and air travel blockade on the country.

The Saudi-led bloc accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, allegations 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, Qatar Ambassador to Russia; Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor at the Defense Studies Dept. King's College London; Khalil Jahshan, Executive Director of the Arab Centre of WashingtonMAIL