Trump ignores secy's call for calm, 'scolds' Qatar

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"The reports about this escalation, the steps taken by some Arab countries on severing ties with Qatar raised concerns [in Moscow]", the Russian foreign minister told his Qatari counterpart, Sputnik reported. Aircraft that fly out of Qatar - including fighter jets, drones and refueling planes - can be relocated, they said.

Trump accused Qatar of being a "high level" funder of terrorism on Friday, even as the Pentagon and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson cautioned against the military, commercial and humanitarian effects of a blockade imposed by Arab states and others.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain announced on Monday they were cutting diplomatic ties and closing all connectivity links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. He said he hoped it would be the beginning of the end of funding terrorism.

But US officials insisted that both men were sending the same message that the countries of the region should not allow their differences to hinder the fight against extremism.

Qatar, which has a population of 2.5 million people, is largely dependent on imports of foodstuffs mostly from UAE and Saudi Arabia. "The president is focused on ending terrorism", Tillerson said.

"President Trump is right to support the Arab-led effort to change Qatar's behavior once and for all". Projects include soccer stadiums for the 2022 World Cup.

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Cavusoglu also said Turkey's military base in Qatar, to which Erdogan approved legislation on deploying Turkish troops, was aimed at contributing to the security of the entire Gulf region and was not aimed at a specific Gulf state.

The latest spat is unlikely to ease regional tensions in a spiralling political crisis which also threatens to involve the United States, Russia, Europe and other major players such as Turkey, a close ally of Qatar, and Iran. The riyal currency has tumbled and the cost of insuring Qatari debt against default has risen.

Late on June 8, a joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the U.A.E. accused 59 individuals and 12 charity organizations in Qatar of being "linked to terror", local media reported.

The Qatari government said the list "once again reinforces baseless allegations that hold no foundation in fact" and boasted: "We lead the region in attacking the roots of terrorism".

"Our position on countering terrorism is stronger than numerous signatories of the joint statement - a fact that has been conveniently ignored by the authors", it said in a statement. The list included the International Union of Muslim Scholars' Egyptian chairman, Yousef al-Qaradawi, and Abdullah bin Khalid, a former interior minister of Qatar. Some are prominent militants who have fought in Libya and Syria.

Qatar's national human rights committee said families had been split and hundreds of people affected.

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