Trump thanks Emir for countering terrorism

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday held a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, during which they reviewed bilateral relations and means of promoting co-operation, especially in combating terrorism.The US president praised Qatar’s role in curbing terrorism and thanked the Emir for “action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms”.The call also discussed the latest international developments and updates of the situation in the Middle East, QNA said.According to a readout of the call released by White House, the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen US-Qatar bilateral relations on security and economic issues.“President Trump reiterated his support for a strong, united Gulf Co-operation Council that is focused on countering regional threats. The president thanked the Emir for Qatari action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms, including being one of the few countries to move forward on a bilateral memorandum of understanding. The leaders discussed areas in which the US and Qatar can partner to bring more stability to the region, counter malign Iranian influence, and defeat terrorism,” the statement added.Though the statement did not directly mention the ongoing GCC crisis, the US president’s support for “a strong, united Gulf Co-operation Council that is focused on countering regional threats” shows the president’s keenness to see an early end to the row that has now entered the eighth month, analysts said.Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, who along with Qatar are members of the GCC, plus non-GCC member Egypt cut off diplomatic, travel and trade ties with Qatar last year, accusing it of supporting militants and Iran.Qatar denies the charges and says their move is aimed at curtailing its sovereignty.