WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- As the diplomatic wrangle between Qatar and several Middle East nations continues to cut, the U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said here Tuesday that the United States sought to build a strategic alliance in the region.
Speaking to the media with his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammed al-Atiyya at the Pentagon, Mattis said that the U.S. side recognizes Qatar as "a long-time friend and military partner for peace and stability in the Middle East and a supporter of NATO's mission in Afghanistan."
"The United States supports exploring an inclusive Mid East strategic alliance, a concept borne in your region and one that brings together all partners to address shared challenges," he said
"We are committed to working by, with, and through allies and partners across the region to make this concept a reality and to deter hostile actors," he added.
When asked about the continuous blockade of Qatar by nations like Saudi Arabia, an apparent obstacle to the U.S. initiative to build such an alliance, the senior Qatari official said that the issue was a "concern" to him and part of the reason for his visit to the United States.
"Actually I am here today to discuss our mutual cooperation and the way forward," he said. "And this is what's, to be honest with you, concerning me today, how to alleviate our relation and mutual cooperation together with the United States."
In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and jointly imposed a trade, land and air traffic embargo against the nation.
The four accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region.
However, Doha has rejected the accusations, calling them "unjustified" and "baseless."
Despite the U.S. calls for all parties concerned to solve their problem soon, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in September that "there is still no solution to the spat in sight."
