WASHINGTON — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s visit with the ruling emir of Qatar (all times local):

The ruling emir of Qatar is telling President Donald Trump his country stands firmly against terrorism.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is telling Trump “we do not tolerate people who support or fund terrorism.” Trump once accused the tiny gas-rich nation of funding terrorism at a “high level.”

Trump says in the Oval Office that “we’re making sure that terrorism funding is stopped” in the region.

The emir is also thanking Trump for his role in trying to solve the crisis involving Qatar and America’s allies in the Persian Gulf. He says Trump’s role “is very vital to end the crisis in the region.”

President Donald Trump is welcoming the ruling emir of Qatar to the White House.

Trump greeted Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tuesday. Trump once accused the tiny gas-rich nation of funding terrorism at a “high level.”

The leaders are set to hold a meeting and working lunch that the White House said would focus on strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

America’s allies in the Persian Gulf are feuding with Qatar. When the dispute began 10 months ago, Trump sided with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighbours who accused Qatar of spreading extremism, fomenting regional unrest and allowing funds to flow to terror groups. Qatar denies all those charges.

Trump hasn’t repeated that charge recently and Qatar has since taken steps to address U.S. concerns.

President Donald Trump is hosting the ruling emir of Qatar, the tiny gas-rich nation he once accused of funding terrorism.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will be at the White House on Tuesday. White House officials say they’ll discuss strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

Last summer, Trump took the side of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries in their ongoing diplomatic crisis with Qatar. He said Qatar had historically supported terror groups at a “high level.” Qatar denies that charge but has taken steps to address U.S. concerns.

In a phone call last week, Trump credited the emir with working to counter terror financing and extremism. The White House says they also discussed concerns about Iran and the need to resolve the Gulf crisis. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump’s visit with the ruling emir of Qatar (all times local):

The ruling emir of Qatar is telling President Donald Trump his country stands firmly against terrorism.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is telling Trump “we do not tolerate people who support or fund terrorism.” Trump once accused the tiny gas-rich nation of funding terrorism at a “high level.”

Trump says in the Oval Office that “we’re making sure that terrorism funding is stopped” in the region.

The emir is also thanking Trump for his role in trying to solve the crisis involving Qatar and America’s allies in the Persian Gulf. He says Trump’s role “is very vital to end the crisis in the region.”

President Donald Trump is welcoming the ruling emir of Qatar to the White House.

Trump greeted Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tuesday. Trump once accused the tiny gas-rich nation of funding terrorism at a “high level.”

The leaders are set to hold a meeting and working lunch that the White House said would focus on strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

America’s allies in the Persian Gulf are feuding with Qatar. When the dispute began 10 months ago, Trump sided with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighbors who accused Qatar of spreading extremism, fomenting regional unrest and allowing funds to flow to terror groups. Qatar denies all those charges.

Trump hasn’t repeated that charge recently and Qatar has since taken steps to address U.S. concerns.

President Donald Trump is hosting the ruling emir of Qatar, the tiny gas-rich nation he once accused of funding terrorism.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will be at the White House on Tuesday. White House officials say they’ll discuss strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

Last summer, Trump took the side of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries in their ongoing diplomatic crisis with Qatar. He said Qatar had historically supported terror groups at a “high level.” Qatar denies that charge but has taken steps to address U.S. concerns.

In a phone call last week, Trump credited the emir with working to counter terror financing and extremism. The White House says they also discussed concerns about Iran and the need to resolve the Gulf crisis.

The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our The Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our Comment Policy before commenting. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s visit with the ruling emir of Qatar (all times local):

President Donald Trump is welcoming the ruling emir of Qatar to the White House.

Trump greeted Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tuesday. Trump once accused the tiny gas-rich nation of funding terrorism at a “high level.”

The leaders are set to hold a meeting and working lunch that the White House said would focus on strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

America’s allies in the Persian Gulf are feuding with Qatar. When the dispute began 10 months ago, Trump sided with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and neighbors who accused Qatar of spreading extremism, fomenting regional unrest and allowing funds to flow to terror groups. Qatar denies all those charges.

Trump hasn’t repeated that charge recently and Qatar has since taken steps to address U.S. concerns.

President Donald Trump is hosting the ruling emir of Qatar, the tiny gas-rich nation he once accused of funding terrorism.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will be at the White House on Tuesday. White House officials say they’ll discuss strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

Last summer, Trump took the side of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries in their ongoing diplomatic crisis with Qatar. He said Qatar had historically supported terror groups at a “high level.” Qatar denies that charge but has taken steps to address U.S. concerns.

In a phone call last week, Trump credited the emir with working to counter terror financing and extremism. The White House says they also discussed concerns about Iran and the need to resolve the Gulf crisis. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday thanked the ruler of Qatar for "action to counter terrorism and extremism in all forms," the White House said in a statement that suggested a warming of ties between the two countries.

In June, Trump had called on Qatar to stop funding groups that commit terrorism, saying the Gulf nation had historically done so "at a very high level."

 Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who along with Qatar are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, plus non-GCC member Egypt cut off diplomatic, travel and trade ties with Qatar last year, accusing it of supporting militants and their arch-foe Iran.

 Qatar denies the charges and says their move is aimed at curtailing its sovereignty.

 The White House statement on the call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani did not directly address the rift but said Trump "reiterated his support for a strong, united Gulf Cooperation Council that is focused on countering regional threats."

 "The leaders discussed areas in which the United States and Qatar can partner to bring more stability to the region, counter malign Iranian influence, and defeat terrorism," it said.

 

 (Reporting by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott) </s> President Donald Trump is hosting the ruling emir of Qatar, the tiny gas-rich nation he once accused of funding terrorism.

Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will be at the White House on Tuesday. White House officials say they’ll discuss strengthening ties, including security and economic issues.

Last summer, Trump took the side of Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries in their ongoing diplomatic crisis with Qatar. He said Qatar had historically supported terror groups at a “high level.” Qatar denies that charge but has taken steps to address US concerns.

In a phone call last week, Trump credited the emir with working to counter terror financing and extremism. The White House says they also discussed concerns about Iran and the need to resolve the Gulf crisis. </s> President Donald Trump vouched publicly on Tuesday for Qatar's efforts to stop the funding of terrorism, reversing his past critique and lending presidential credence to Qatari claims that it's been unfairly maligned by its Persian Gulf rivals.

Less than a year ago, Trump stood in the Rose Garden and chided the tiny, gas-rich nation for historically funding terror at a "high level," as he broke with his secretary of state by siding against Qatar in its row with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other neighbors. Since then, Qatar has mounted an aggressive and well-funded campaign to rehabilitate its image in the U.S. and prove it's a reliable American partner.

As Qatar's ruling emir visited the White House on Tuesday, the fruits of that labor began to show.

"You've now become a very big advocate, and we appreciate it," Trump told Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. "A lot of countries were funding terrorism and we're stopping it. It's getting stopped and fast — very important."

He specifically called out Saudi Arabia and the UAE as other countries where terror financing has been a problem in the past.

The emir, seated next to Trump in the Oval Office, was unequivocal in insisting his country maintains a zero-tolerance policy. He repeated the point several times as reporters and cameras were allowed in briefly for the start of their meeting.

"I want to make something very clear, Mr. President," the Qatari emir said. "We do not and we will not tolerate with people who fund terrorism. We've been cooperating with the United States of America to stop funding terrorism around the region."

When the Persian Gulf crisis erupted last summer, Trump was initially sympathetic to concerns voiced by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt who accused Qatar of spreading extremism, fomenting opposition in the region and cozying up to Iran. Qatar has denied all those charges, and then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the president to adopt a more neutral stance in the crisis. Trump came out swinging against Qatar anyway, as his administration pursued closer ties with the Saudis and a ramped up its critiques of Iran.

Yet almost a year later, the crisis has remained deadlocked, despite Qatar's efforts to address at least the U.S. concerns, even allowing Treasury Department officials into its central bank. Saudi Arabia and others have continued squeezing the country diplomatically and financially with a partial blockade, arguing those steps were wholly insufficient to address their long list of demands on Qatar, which included shutting down Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera.

Over the months, Trump's administration has lost patience with the crisis, especially after an early U.S. effort to mediate a resolution sputtered. Trump hasn't recently repeated the charge about Qatari funding for extremism, and U.S. officials have credited Qatar with making progress in cracking down and improving transparency.

Still, as Trump praised the emir as a "great gentleman" and a "friend of mine," it was unclear how much of the warm reception was due to Trump's time-honored habit of chiding his opponents from afar but then softening when they come face to face.

Nor was it clear what gave the president any reason to be optimistic the Gulf crisis will end any time soon. If there's one thing Qatar and its neighbors currently agree on, it's that there's been essentially zero progress in resolving it, with both sides firmly dug in.

"We're working on unity in that part of the Middle East and I think it's working out very well," Trump said nonetheless. "There are a lot of good things happening."

Trump has spoken recently to the leaders of most of the countries involved in the dispute, and has pushed all five nations to resolve it, the State Department said. As a key example of Qatar's efforts on counter-terrorism, the State Department pointed out that in March, Qatar added roughly two dozen people and entities on its terror blacklist.

There have been other signs that Trump is warming to the Qataris. The day before the emir's visit, the administration told Congress it plans to approve a deal to sell $300 million in "Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems" to Qatar, including 5,000 high-explosive warheads and the same number of rocket motors. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the laser-guided rockets would help Qatar modernize its military and wouldn't alter the basic military balance in the region.

Trump cast Qatar's military purchases as part of an economy-juicing opportunity for the U.S.

"We have a gentleman on my right who buys a lot of equipment from us, a lot of purchases in the United States and a lot of military airplanes, missiles, lots of different things," Trump said.

The meeting came shortly after Trump greeted Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with pomp and pageantry at the White House last month at the start of the crown prince's marathon tour of the U.S. The de facto leader of another Qatari opponent, the UAE, will also soon visit the White House.

Qatar has long sought to stress its role as an agreeable U.S. partner in a strategically vital region. The country hosts some 10,000 U.S. troops at al-Udeid Air Base, a key command center for U.S. forces in the Middle East, and has been building new facilities for U.S. troops there at Qatari expense in a bid to make it more comfortable for the Americans.

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Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP </s> The Trump administration on Friday ramped up diplomatic efforts to help resolve Qatar's crisis with its Arab neighbors, which risks implications for America's military presence in the Middle East and the fight against the Islamic State group. The U.S. is also concerned that the spat among Arab governments could hamper a shared interest in blunting Iranian assertiveness in the region.

President Donald Trump spoke with Qatar's leader to affirm the importance of ending the festering, three-month-old dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, the White House said Friday.

Trump's call to Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday came after he met the emir of Kuwait, whom he thanked for his vigorous yet thus far unsuccessful mediation. Trump reasserted his demand for all countries to stop funding extremist groups. He previously has described how Arab leaders criticized Qatar for such terror financing during a regional summit in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

Trump "underscored the importance of all countries following through on commitments from the Riyadh Summit to maintain unity while defeating terrorism, cutting off funding for terrorist groups and combatting extremist ideology," the White House said in a statement. The leaders "also discussed the continued threat Iran poses to regional stability."

The row has split key U.S. counter terrorism partners and undermined the cohesion of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a traditional bulwark of U.S.-led efforts to contain Iran's influence.

The White House released its readout of the call after Qatar's ambassador to the U.S. said the country would donate $30 million to help Texans recover from Harvey.

On Friday, talks about Qatar continued as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met senior Kuwaiti officials at the State Department to discuss regional security and Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah's mediation bid.

"We support his efforts to help bring about a settlement," Tillerson said of the Kuwaiti leader. "The United States and Kuwait both recognize the important of GCC unity to meet the challenges of the region that we all face together, not the least of which is the threats from Iran."

Trump, too, on Thursday offered support. He applauded Kuwait's "critical contributions to regional stability" and repeated an offer to mediate himself, particularly between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Trump suggested a deal would be "worked out very quickly" if he became personally involved.

But Trump has sent conflicting signals about where he stands on the dispute. He initially appeared to side with Saudi Arabia. Then, he instructed Tillerson to support Kuwait's mediation, shuttling between the parties in July. As the dispute has dragged on, the administration has dispatched other U.S. envoys to bolster the 88-year-old Kuwaiti emir's initiative.

At a joint news conference with Trump on Thursday, Sheikh Sabah said he remained hopeful a resolution could be reached. He noted Qatar had been presented with a list of 13 demands by the other countries and was willing to discuss them. Although Qatar has rejected some of them out of hand, Sheikh Sabah said negotiations were possible.

But underscoring the impasse, the quartet of Arab nations boycotting Doha issued a strongly worded statement early Friday morning dismissing some of the emir's comments. "Any dialogue on meeting their demands should not be preceded by any prior conditions," they said in a statement that was an unusual, personal rebuke in the clubby world of Gulf Arab states.

The crisis erupted June 5 when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cut ties to Qatar over allegations it funds extremists and is too cozy with Iran. Qatar hosts a U.S. military base critical to the anti-IS fight in Iraq and Syria. It denies funding extremists. It recently restored full diplomatic ties to Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field that makes its citizens among the world's wealthiest. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Friday ramped up diplomatic efforts to help resolve Qatar’s crisis with its Arab neighbors, which risks implications for America’s military presence in the Middle East and the fight against the Islamic State group. The U.S. is also concerned that the spat among Arab governments could hamper a shared interest in blunting Iranian assertiveness in the region.

President Donald Trump spoke with Qatar’s leader to affirm the importance of ending the festering, three-month-old dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, the White House said Friday.

Trump’s call to Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday came after he met the emir of Kuwait, whom he thanked for his vigorous yet thus far unsuccessful mediation. Trump reasserted his demand for all countries to stop funding extremist groups. He previously has described how Arab leaders criticized Qatar for such terror financing during a regional summit in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

Trump “underscored the importance of all countries following through on commitments from the Riyadh Summit to maintain unity while defeating terrorism, cutting off funding for terrorist groups and combatting extremist ideology,” the White House said in a statement. The leaders “also discussed the continued threat Iran poses to regional stability.”

The row has split key U.S. counter terrorism partners and undermined the cohesion of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a traditional bulwark of U.S.-led efforts to contain Iran’s influence.

The White House released its readout of the call after Qatar’s ambassador to the U.S. said the country would donate $30 million to help Texans recover from Harvey.

On Friday, talks about Qatar continued as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met senior Kuwaiti officials at the State Department to discuss regional security and Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah’s mediation bid.

“We support his efforts to help bring about a settlement,” Tillerson said of the Kuwaiti leader. “The United States and Kuwait both recognize the important of GCC unity to meet the challenges of the region that we all face together, not the least of which is the threats from Iran.”

Trump, too, on Thursday offered support. He applauded Kuwait’s “critical contributions to regional stability” and repeated an offer to mediate himself, particularly between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Trump suggested a deal would be “worked out very quickly” if he became personally involved.

But Trump has sent conflicting signals about where he stands on the dispute. He initially appeared to side with Saudi Arabia. Then, he instructed Tillerson to support Kuwait’s mediation, shuttling between the parties in July. As the dispute has dragged on, the administration has dispatched other U.S. envoys to bolster the 88-year-old Kuwaiti emir’s initiative.

At a joint news conference with Trump on Thursday, Sheikh Sabah said he remained hopeful a resolution could be reached. He noted Qatar had been presented with a list of 13 demands by the other countries and was willing to discuss them. Although Qatar has rejected some of them out of hand, Sheikh Sabah said negotiations were possible.

But underscoring the impasse, the quartet of Arab nations boycotting Doha issued a strongly worded statement early Friday morning dismissing some of the emir’s comments. “Any dialogue on meeting their demands should not be preceded by any prior conditions,” they said in a statement that was an unusual, personal rebuke in the clubby world of Gulf Arab states.

The crisis erupted June 5 when Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cut ties to Qatar over allegations it funds extremists and is too cozy with Iran. Qatar hosts a U.S. military base critical to the anti-IS fight in Iraq and Syria. It denies funding extremists. It recently restored full diplomatic ties to Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field that makes its citizens among the world’s wealthiest. </s> President Trump put pressure on the leader of Qatar in a phone call Thursday to cut off funding sources for terrorism, an issue at the heart of a diplomatic boycott on the small oil-rich Persian Gulf nation by its Arab neighbors.

Mr. Trump reminded Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of the united front against terror financing that the president founded with his May speech in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to the White House.

“The President underscored the importance of all countries following through on commitments from the Riyadh Summit to maintain unity while defeating terrorism, cutting off funding for terrorist groups, and combatting extremist ideology,” the White House said.

He also discussed the continued threat Iran poses to regional stability, according to the White House.

The call followed Mr. Trump’s joint press conference at the White House with the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, where Mr. Trump offered to step in as mediator in the dispute

“If I can help mediate between Qatar and, in particular, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, I would be willing to do so. And I think you’d have a deal worked out very quickly,” Mr. Trump said.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt have cut off Qatar since June over its support for militant groups and Iran.

Qatar has denied that its charities finance terrorist groups.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosts Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and praises the nation's efforts to combat terrorism, reversing his previous stance that Qatar funded terrorists at a "high level". Qatar and its neighbours are presently disputing the level and nature of terrorism in Qatar.