Alwaght- Reports indicate that US President Donald Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner might be behind a Saudi-led blockade on Qatar after the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom refused to finance his property.
According to whistle-blowing website, The Intercept, Kushner's family-run real estate company tried to seek Qatari government financing for its troubled New York City property a month before Kushner backed a Saudi-led blockade on the country.
Kushner Cos. directly solicited investment from Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi for its 666 Fifth Avenue luxury tower in April 2017, two sources in the finance industry told The Intercept. No deal came of it.
The following month, Kushner and the White House supported a blockade of Qatar organized by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Kushner resigned as CEO of Kushner Cos. when he joined the White House and left his father, Charles Kushner, to run the business. It was Charles Kushner who met with al-Emadi, along with their aides, at a St. Regis New York hotel suite in April, according to The Intercept. The meeting ran for half an hour, and they discussed the potential investment. Conversations continued the next day at a conference room at 666 Fifth Avenue, but al-Emadi was not present, The Intercept said.
The dispute in the Persian Gulf began in June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade, after accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism". Qatar continues to vehemently reject the allegations as "baseless".
On June 22, the block, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.
Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to violate its sovereignty.
