Pompeo calls for ending rift among Arab Gulf countries during Qatar visit

Visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday called for ending the continuing crisis between Qatar and mainly its Arab Gulf neighbours.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Pompeo said that the diplomatic rift among the Arab Gulf countries benefited their adversaries.

"We are all more powerful when we are working together and disputes are limited. When we have a common challenge, disputes between countries with shared objectives are never helpful," Pompeo said, reports Xinhua news agency.

Pompeo arrived in Doha earlier in the day from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as he continued his ongoing tour of the Middle East that has already taken him to Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and the UAE. He will travel to Saudi Arabia as his next stop.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt severed ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. Qatar has strongly denied the accusations.

Last week, Anthony Zinni, the US envoy tasked with resolving the Qatari crisis, announced his resignation, citing that he felt he reached a dead-end in the efforts to end the Gulf dispute.