State Department issues unusual public warning to Saudi Arabia and UAE over Qatar rift

Source: Washington Post

The State Department issued an unusual public warning to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday over a diplomatic rift with fellow U.S. ally Qatar, and suggested that the Saudis may have provoked a crisis and drawn in the United States on false pretenses.

Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the administration was “mystified” that — two weeks after announcing a diplomatic and economic embargo against Qatar over alleged support for terrorism — Saudi Arabia and the UAE have not publicly detailed their complaints.

“The more that time goes by, the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” Nauert said.

“At this point, we are left with one simple question: Were the actions really about their concerns about Qatar’s alleged support for terrorism, or were they about the long-simmering grievances between and among the GCC countries?”

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/state-department-issues-unusual-public-warning-to-saudi-arabia-and-uae-over-qatar-rift/2017/06/20/66294a58-55e9-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html?utm_term=.0c772fda4516