Reuters: Saudi and Bahrain welcome Trump's scolding of Qatar
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain welcomed on Saturday U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for Qatar to stop supporting terrorism, but did not respond to a U.S. Department of State call for them to ease pressure on the Gulf state.
After severing ties with Qatar on Monday, Saudi Arabia said it was committed to "decisive and swift action to cut off all funding sources for terrorism" in a statement carried by state news agency SPA, attributed to "an official source".
And in a separate statement issued on Friday, the United Arab Emirates praised Trump's "leadership in challenging Qatar's troubling support for extremism".
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Update: Trump Team’s Shifts Jolt Some Allies and Soothe Others (New York Times)
WNU Editor: Qatar's Foreign Minister is in Moscow today .... Qatar crisis: Russian minister Sergey Lavrov to meet Gulf nation's foreign minister (First Post) .... but Russia is not going to change its policies. Here is a brief summary on Russia's position with Qatar .... Russia’s reading on what’s at stake in Qatar crisis (Al-Monitor).
What's my prediction on where will this crisis end .... I expect a capitulation from Qatar in the coming weeks .... even though they are saying that they will not surrender .... Gulf rift: Qatar 'not ready to surrender' (CNN). Qatar is too dependent on its Arab neighbours for its well being, and the last thing that the Royal family wants in their small kingdom are its citizens (and its family members) being upset that the lifestyle that they enjoy is under threat. The terms of this capitulation are probably going to be very strict .... financial controls, editorial control over Al Jazeera, Gulf Corporation commitments, a distancing of in diplomatic relations with countries like Iran (and maybe Turkey), military commitments, etc..
Update #2: Yup .... there is a certain hypocrisy in this crisis .... Qatar crisis: Is Saudi Arabia supporting terror also? (News.com.au).
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