Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet with the foreign minister of Qatar Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the start of a Saudi, Emirati, Bahrani and Egyptian-backed boycott of the United States, according to reports.
The meeting comes just days before the deadline on the list of demands sent to Qatar by the four Arab states, though Tillerson already said some demands “will be very difficult for Qatar to meet”. On the list of 13 preconditions to ending Qatar’s isolation, is shutting down Al Jazeera news network which is state-funded and reducing ties with Iran.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar accusing the Gulf state of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region. Qatar, however, rejected the accusations, calling them “unjustified” and “baseless.”
According to CNN, Tillerson said in a statement Sunday, “Qatar has begun its careful review and consideration of a series of requests presented by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE, while some of the elements will be very difficult for Qatar to meet, there are significant areas which provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to resolution”.
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