Alwaght- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed a Saudi-led move by Arab countries to cut ties with Qatar, suggesting his recent trip to the region was the push for their decision.
"During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!” he tweeted Tuesday.
"So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding ….extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!” he continued.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on Monday recalled their ambassadors from Qatar and closed all land, sea and air borders.
The Maldives and Libya's eastern-based government followed suit later Monday.
The countries cited Qatar’s relations with Iran and what they say is Qatar’s support for extremist groups such as Hamas and al-Qaeda, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood.
Qatar maintained that the crisis is being fueled by “absolute fabrications” and is a “violation of its sovereignty.”
Trump's tweet comes while the US has a massive air base in Qatar’s capital of Doha, which hosts as many as 10,000 of its military personnel.
Meanwhile, Qatar says it is ready to give Kuwait a chance to mediate a potential resolution of the crisis.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Tuesday cited the Qatari emir as having voiced readiness for mediation while talking to his Kuwaiti counterpart on the phone.
The Qatari foreign minister also said Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah had advised Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, to delay a scheduled public address as Kuwait City tried to mediate.
Meanwhile, Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah travelled to potential mediator Kuwait to address the prospect of de-escalation, and a Saudi official also reportedly travelled to Kuwait City.
