Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE with Qatar were caused by the latter's wealth and played an active role in the region.
In a May 21 testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tillerson said that the emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani is "a man looking forward" and that "his wife has a reformist mentality for their people, Put pressure on others in the region. "
In a testimony published today by the press release, Tillerson confirmed that the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on Qatar in early June 2017 was the result of the accumulation of chronic differences between the Gulf states.
He said that many issues had accumulated between the Gulf parties over time, and that among these issues was Qatar's launch of Al-Jazeera in 1996, which later turned into an international media network.
"I spoke by telephone with the Qatari leadership after the penetration of Qatar News Agency, and they told me that what was published by the Emir of Qatar at the time was baseless, and I never doubted to say."
Pirates broke into Qatar News Agency at the beginning of June 2017 and posted on its website fabricated statements to the Emir of Qatar, which Doha quickly denied and confirmed was fabricated and fabricated.
"Qatar has enormous wealth that has enabled it to play a positive role it has never played," he said. "This has sometimes caused a disagreement among the Gulf parties," he said, adding that he agrees with US President Donald Trump in saying Qatar is a partner. Strategic strategy ".
Tillerson said he had no knowledge of a dinner gathering on the night of 20 May 2017 (just days before the imposition of the blockade on Qatar) White House advisers Steve Bannon and Jared Kouchner with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "" That angers me because I did not have a word and it was not The views of the US State Department are present. "
He also said that he was not aware of the decision to impose a siege on Qatar, and that on that date he and former Defense Minister James Matisse on a visit to Australia and surprise the news of the declaration of the blockade.
He stressed that the transfer of the headquarters of the Central Command of US forces to Qatar was requested by Saudi Arabia, and that everyone in the region was in accordance with that procedure.
Speaking of his relationship with Grammy and his advisers, Tillerson revealed that Trump did not like to go into detail and read all his memoirs, and that Kouchner was not coordinating with the US State Department or US embassies in the countries he traveled to, And officials without the knowledge of the Foreign Minister.
He also spent time in Qatar and the region during his tenure at ExxonMobil, the largest investor in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. He also spent time with leaders of these countries.