Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/833901
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 2017 US President Donald Trump has claimed credit for the pressure being placed on Qatar by neigh- bouring Gulf countries who ac- cuse it of supporting terrorism in the region. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Yemen, Libya's eastern- based government and the Mal- dives have all cut diplomatic and other ties with Qatar. The countries cut ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of support for Islamist militants and Iran, and reopening a fes- tering wound two weeks after Trump's demand for Muslim states to fight terrorism. Trump said he was told during his recent visit to Saudi Arabia that Qatar was funding "radi- cal ideology". He added that the visit was "already paying off". Analysts say the timing of the move, two weeks after a visit to Saudi Arabia by Trump, is cru- cial. His speech in the Saudi capital Riyadh, in which he blamed Iran for instability in the Middle East and urged Muslim countries to take the lead in combating radicalisation, is seen as likely to have emboldened Gulf allies to act against Qatar. Saudi Arabia – itself linked with jihadist groups such as the Islamic State - accused Qatar on Monday of backing militant groups and broadcast- ing their ideology, an apparent reference to Qatar's influential state-owned satellite channel al Jazeera. "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be fund- ing of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar - look!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday. He later tweeted: "So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries al- ready 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 begin- ning of the end to the horror of terrorism!" Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Unit- ed Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and closed their airspace to commercial flights on Monday. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have given Qatari na- tionals two weeks to leave, and banned their own citizens from travelling to Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE closed all transport links by air, land and sea. The UAE and Egypt expelled Qatari diplomats, giving them 48 hours to leave, and Saudi Arabia closed down a local of- fice of al-Jazeera. Qatar has denied funding ex- tremists, though western offi- cials have accused it of allowing or even encouraging funding of Sunni extremists such as al- Qaida's branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front. Qatar – an energy-rich travel hub – shares its only land bor- der with Saudi Arabia and re- lies heavily on importing food, much of it from Gulf countries. The crisis could also hit ex- ports, including goods such as machinery, electronic equip- ment or livestock transported by road to Saudi Arabia. In a sign of the potential con- sequences for the Qatari econo- my, a number of banks in the re- gion began stepping back from business dealings with Qatar. Saudi Arabia's central bank ad- vised banks in the kingdom not to trade with Qatari banks in Qatari riyals, sources said. Qatar has for years presented itself as a mediator and power broker for the region's many dis- putes. But Egypt and the Gulf Arab states resent Qatar's sup- port for Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, which they see as a political enemy. Muslim Brotherhood groups allied to Doha are now mostly on retreat in the region, espe- cially after a 2013 military take- over in Egypt ousted the elected Islamist president. The former army chief and now president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, along with Cairo's allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, blacklist the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The Brotherhood says it supports only peaceful politics. News Trump claims credit for Qatar isolation 'So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit already paying off' – Trump