State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert expressed US administration’s surprise over the fact that GCC member states which enforced the siege on Qatar are yet to make public their alleged charges against Qatar.
Urging both sides to resolve the dangerous dispute, the US official said: “Doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the longer they take to make those claims public.”
Qatar News Agency said Nauert’s remarks came after HE the Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said on Monday he was surprised that these countries were yet to present their demands. “They are asking Qatar to comply with requests they have not made directly.” Sheikh Mohamed had stressed that the dispute must be solved through dialogue.
Signalling Washington’s mounting frustration at Riyadh’s role in the crisis, Nauert called into question whether Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism is its true cause.
“Now that it has been more than two weeks since the embargo started we are mystified that the Gulf states have not released to the Qataris nor to the public the details about the claims they are making toward Qatar,” she said.
“The more that time goes by the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” she added, in a significant swipe at two of Washington’s allies.
“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?” she asked.
