US secretary of state Mike Pompeo is intensifying Washington’s efforts to end the Qatar dispute as it approaches its one-year mark on June 5. He called his Qatari counterpart on Wednesday, urging to see “the dispute eased and eventually resolved, as it [currently] benefits Iran.”
The State Department said that Mr Pompeo spoke with Qatari foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and “reaffirmed US commitment to working with all of our GCC partners to ensure designations are fully enforced and that our partners’ financial systems are not exploited by terrorists and illicit actors.”
After the Arab Quartet boycotted Qatar, Doha took steps to designate terrorist entities and to curb terror financing.
Mr Pompeo’s emphasis on Iran follows the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal. A senior US official told The National last week that Washington is looking for a “united front” among its Gulf partners in countering Iran.
It also follows a report by The Telegraph on Sunday quoting US security officials who urged Qatar to stop funding pro-Iranian militants. One US official told the paper that a “number of senior Qatari government officials have developed cordial relations with senior figures in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as well as a number of Iranian-sponsored terrorist organisations.”
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Read more:
Friendship thrives as UAE foreign minister meets US secretary of state
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According to the Washington Post, Qatari officials in April 2017 appeared to consent to payments totalling at least $275 million to free nine members of the royal family and 16 other Qatari nationals. The recipients included among others Iran’s IRGC and Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, but Doha denies paying any ransom to terrorist groups.
Now, as the US readies for more economic pressure on Iran, it is also looking at joint efforts by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to impose sanctions and minimise trade relations with Tehran.
Ideally the US would like to see the Qatar dispute resolved before a tentative Camp David summit planned for September. The US want Gulf partners, Jordan and Egypt to attend as one bloc at the summit.
But in the interim, the US is also looking at minimum steps to ease the Qatar dispute. For the boycotting states (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt), however, Doha has to take concrete steps before any easing of measures happens.
Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir said during his visit to Washington last March that Qatar would need to go back to its 2013 commitments under the Riyadh agreement.
He named terror financing, radicalisation, incitement, support for extremist clerics among list of problems with Qatar. “We are not in a hurry” Mr Jubeir said on ending the boycott, as the emphasis is on bringing tangible results in curbing the support for extremism.
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Company%20profile
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
