US senator to block arms sales to Gulf over Qatar crisis

An influential US senator has said he will withhold consent for arms sales to Gulf Arab states until there is a "path forward" to resolving the Qatar crisis.

Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, warned that efforts to fight so-called Islamic State and counter Iran were being hurt.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut air, sea and land links with Qatar three weeks ago.

They accused Qatar of aiding terrorist groups and Iran - charges it denied.

On Friday, the emirate was presented with a 13-point list of demands to end the crisis that included shutting down the Al Jazeera news network, cutting ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and curbing diplomatic relations with Iran.

A government spokesman in Doha said the list confirmed that "the illegal blockade has nothing to do with combating terrorism - it is about limiting Qatar's sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy".

The restrictions have caused turmoil in the oil- and gas-rich nation, which is dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million.

President Donald Trump initially expressed his support for the actions taken against Qatar despite it hosting the largest US military base in the Middle East.

But his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, acknowledged on Sunday that some of the demands issued by its neighbours would "be very difficult to meet" and called for "dialogue leading to resolution".
 Source - bbc news