A senior Qatari official says Qatar hosted the Taliban based on a request from the United States, whose president, along with a number of Arab regimes, has been pressuring Doha over what they say is its support for extremist groups.
Mutlaq al-Qahtani, a senior counterterrorism adviser to Qatar’s foreign minister, told Al Jazeera on Sunday that Qatar hosted the Taliban “by request by the US government” and as part of Qatar’s “open-door policy, to facilitate talks, to mediate and to bring peace.”
The Taliban opened an office in Qatar in 2013, but the Qatari government later shut it down. Taliban leaders are still said to be in Doha, however.
Qatar has come under intense pressure from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, the Maldives, and Egypt — all of which have broken off ties with Doha — over accusations that the Qatari government sponsors extremist groups, including the Taliban.
According to Iran’s Press TV a recent visit by U.S President Donald Trump to Riyadh, where he called on Arab countries to “isolate” governments supporting “terrorism” as well as Iran, is believed to have emboldened the Saudi rulers to pursue their policies more aggressively, including by assailing Qatar.
Those regional countries have suspended all land, air, and sea traffic with Qatar, ejected its diplomats, and ordered most Qatari citizens to leave.
Qahtani meanwhile told Al Jazeera that Qatar “was facilitating the talks between the Americans, the Taliban, and the government of Afghanistan.”
The U.S has a military base in Qatar, which it says is crucial to its operations in the Middle East.
Qatar has however rejected the accusations that it supports extremism, and the country’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said Doha would not “surrender” under political pressure.
This comes after Qatar appeared Sunday to be ready to listen to the concerns of Gulf Arab states that cut ties.
According to Reuters, the rift has disrupted travel, separated families, severed commercial links and sown confusion among banks and businesses. It has also deepened divisions between their respective allies fighting in wars and political struggles from Libya to Yemen.
"(Kuwait) affirms the readiness of the brothers in Qatar to understand the reality of the qualms and concerns of their brothers and to heed the noble endeavors to enhance security and stability," Kuwait's state news agency KUNA quoted Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah as saying.
Reuters stated that Kuwait, which has retained ties with Qatar, said it wanted to resolve the dispute "within the unified Gulf house".
Morocco, a close ally of the Gulf countries, said on Sunday it would remain neutral and offered to facilitate dialogue, Reuters reported.
"If the parties so wish, the Kingdom of Morocco is ready to offer its services to foster a frank and comprehensive dialogue on the basis of non-interference in internal affairs and the fight against religious extremism," a statement from the country's foreign ministry read.
Reuters however stated a Qatari diplomat said the crisis reflected a lack of U.S leadership.
U.S. President Donald Trump initially offered to host Qatar and its adversaries - all U.S. allies - at the White House, but on Friday said Qatar has been a high-level sponsor of terrorism and backed the Gulf pressure.
"This is the biggest testimony to U.S failure in the Gulf," a diplomat told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "(It) gives others the impression the U.S does not know how to manage the relationship with its allies or is incapable."