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US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson says Gulf countries must ease the blockade on Qatar. Calling upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to ease the blockade against Qatar, he said in Washington that the blockade is having humanitarian consequences.
Mr. Tillerson said the crisis, which has cut transportation links and trade, had begun hurting ordinary people in Qatar, and that it is impairing business dealings and harming the U.S. battle against the Islamic State militant group. He demanded that Qatar, as well as the other countries, take steps to curtail support for terrorism.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump has accused Qatar of funding terrorism, and urged it to stop. Addressing a joint news conference with the visiting Romanian President Klaus Johannis in the White House, Trump alleged that Qatar is funding terrorism at the highest level and asked other countries doing the same to stop with immediate effect.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have cut ties with Qatar, accusing their former Gulf Cooperation Council ally of supporting extremist groups. The Qataris deny accusations that they support Islamist extremists.