Trump Sidesteps Rising Gulf Tensions in Call Praising Qatar

(Bloomberg) -- A call between President Donald Trump and Qatar’s ruler on Monday was notable for what it didn’t include -- a reference to the escalation in the long-running dispute between U.S. allies in the Gulf.

Trump thanked Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for “Qatari action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms,” and the two leaders also discussed ways to strengthen relations on security and economic issues, according to a White House summary of the call. It sidestepped 48 hours of mysterious developments in the Gulf dispute, including the United Arab Emirates claiming that Qatari jets buzzed two passenger planes, and a descendant of Qatar’s founder accusing the U.A.E. of holding him against his will.

Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of destabilizing the region by supporting terrorism -- a charge Doha has denied. But while Trump’s comments reflect his administration’s preference for a negotiated solution to the dispute, his stance has been inconsistent and he may still give his support to the other side, said Graham Griffiths, an analyst at consultancy Control Risks in Dubai.

“Trump’s erratic interventions mean that he may say something else in the near future that will make the quartet feel they have his renewed backing,” Griffiths said.

Stalemate

U.S. and Kuwaiti attempts to mediate have failed to break the standoff, which broke out after Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May and called for concerted Gulf action to combat terrorism and accusing Iran of fueling instability. The four nations boycotting Qatar also charge it of cozying up to the Islamic Republic.

Iran is ready for “any cooperation” with the Qatari people and government, and won’t let the country be subject to “unjust pressure,” President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

After a period of relative calm, the dispute has escalated in recent days. Saif Al Suwaidi, the director general of the U.A.E.’s civil aviation authority, said he will file a complaint on Tuesday with the International Civil Aviation Organization over the buzzing of its planes by fighter jets. Qatar has denied that either incident took place, and said on Monday it will take legal action against alleged airspace breaches by the U.A.E.’s own fighter jets on two previous occasions.

The U.A.E. also said that Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al-Thani’s claim of being detained is untrue. Sheikh Abdullah was courted by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and was touted in U.A.E. media last year as a possible replacement for the Qatari ruler. Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee said on Monday that the sheikh’s family had confirmed his confinement and asked it to look into his condition.

Sheikh Abdullah is leaving the U.A.E. for Kuwait in unstable health, Al Jazeera TV reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter it didn’t identify.

Few analysts see an end to the stalemate any time soon. The Saudi-led bloc and Qatar are unlikely to come to some understanding “unless the U.S. can pressure either side to concede on some of the many issues that divide them,” said Hani Sabra, founder of New York-based Alef Advisory. “It does not appear that Washington has done that.”

--With assistance from Mahmoud Habboush

To contact the reporter on this story: Zainab Fattah in Dubai at zfattah@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Mark Williams

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