Saudis, allies have list of demands for Qatar: US
A list of demands will be presented to Qatar to resolve the diplomatic crisis
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have drawn up a list of demands to be presented to Qatar, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday, amid a regional diplomatic crisis.
"We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable," Tillerson said, two weeks after Riyadh imposed an embargo on its neighbor.
On Tuesday, Tillerson s spokeswoman had declared Washington "mystified" that Saudi Arabia had yet to produce a clear list of demands after accusing Qatar of sponsoring terrorism.
Washington s top diplomat has been working his telephone intensively in recent days trying to defuse a stand-off that has put key US allies at loggerheads with one another.
President Donald Trump has signalled sympathy for Riyadh s position, alleging that gas-rich Qatar has in the past provided "high level" support for extremists.
But the biggest US air base in the Middle East is in Qatar, and US diplomats are keen to de-escalate the crisis and unite the region in the battle against the Islamic State group.
"We understand a list of demands has been prepared and coordinated by the Saudis, Emiratis, Egyptians, and Bahrainis," Tillerson said in a statement.
The US secretary has said he is ready to assume a mediation role if regional contacts fail, but for the moment he is supporting efforts by Kuwait to bring the parties together.
