U.S. Secretary of State is hoping to help end Gulf rift

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Qatar on Tuesday on a mission to break the deadlock between the tiny, energy-rich Gulf nation and four Arab neighbours that is seriously straining relations among the American allies.

The visit is Mr. Tillerson’s second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy circuit that is also expected to take him to Saudi Arabia.

The pair was joined by Qatar’s Foreign Minister as well as the Emir’s brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, a key point person for the U.S. on counterterrorism issues. Qatar was the second Gulf stop for Mr. Tillerson, who met on Monday with Kuwait’s ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah. The Kuwaiti leader has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt.

Agreements leaked

Mr. Tillerson’s arrival in the Gulf coincided with the release by CNN on Monday of allegedly leaked agreements between Qatar and its neighbours dating from 2013 and 2014.

They include a handwritten 2013 deal between the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar to not interfere directly or indirectly in the internal affairs of fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. That agreement specifically ruled out support for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Qatar sees the Brotherhood as a legitimate political force and has for years hosted its spiritual guide, Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi. That puts it squarely at odds with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, which see it as a threat and label it as a terrorist organisation.