U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Saudi Arabia and its allies have prepared a list of demands for Qatar, and he emphasized the United States looks forward to the diplomatic dispute between the Gulf states "moving toward a resolution."
"We hope the list of demands will soon be presented to Qatar and will be reasonable and actionable," Tillerson said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates imposed measures to isolate Qatar two weeks ago, causing the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years. The countries have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha strongly denies.
Tillerson said the list of demands has been prepared and coordinated by the Saudis, Emiratis, Egyptians, and the Bahrainis. He said the United States supports the mediation efforts of Kuwait.
The U.S. State Department bluntly questioned on Tuesday the motives of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their boycott of Doha, saying it was "mystified" the Gulf states had not released their grievances over Qatar.
In Washington's strongest language yet on the Gulf dispute, the State Department said the more time goes by, "the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE."
On Monday, Qatar said it will not negotiate with neighboring countries unless they cease their economic and travel "blockade" of the Gulf state.
“We have to make it very clear for everyone, negotiations must be done in a civilized way and should have a solid basis and not under pressure or under blockade,” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulraham al-Thani told reporters in the capital city of Doha.
Saudi Arabia first took action on June 5, pulling its ambassador out of Qatar and forcing Qatari nationals to move back to their home country by June 19. Saudi Arabia also closed Qatar’s only land border and banned its planes from using Saudi airspace.
