Gulf diplomatic crisis: US urges Qatar, neighbours to 'sit together' to 'help ease the tension'

Washington: The United States says some demands on Qatar by its West Asia neighbours “will be very difficult to meet.” But the US isn’t rejecting the demands outright. [caption id=“attachment_3745475” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says in a statement that a list of demands from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates includes major areas that “provide a basis for ongoing dialogue leading to a resolution.” He’s calling for Qatar and the other Arab countries to “sit together” to work through the list. Tillerson is also calling for a “lowering of rhetoric” to “help ease the tension.” He says the US is supporting Kuwait’s efforts to mediate. The demands include shuttering Al-Jazeera and severing ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Tillerson had previously insisted any demands be “reasonable and actionable.”