21 June 2017•Update: 21 June 2017
DOHA, Qatar
Qatar has welcomed a recent U.S. position questioning the motives of Gulf allies for their blockade on Doha.
On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen cut ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism.
Qatar, for its part, has denied the accusations, saying the move to diplomatically isolate it was "unjustified"
On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said it was "mystified" that the Gulf countries had not released their grievances about Qatar.
"At this point, we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns regarding Qatar's alleged support for terrorism or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, referring to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
In a statement, Ahmed Al-Rumaihi, a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, welcomed the U.S. position regarding the Gulf crisis. We "reaffirm Qatar's strategic stance that supports solving the crisis by civilized dialogue," he said.
Nauert's statements came in contrast to the position of U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Doha of supporting terrorism.
Qatar hosts a vital U.S. military airbase, Al Udeid, where more than 11,000 U.S. and coalition forces are deployed.
Reporting by Ahmed al-Masri;Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
