WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is postponing until September a summit with Gulf Arab leaders that had been planned for this spring amid an ongoing dispute between Qatar and other U.S. allies in the region, according to five U.S. officials.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Latvia's President Raimonds Vejonis, Estonia's President Kersti Kaljulaid and Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

The decision to delay the May summit with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council reflects a crowded diplomatic calendar, and the fact that President Donald Trump is without a secretary of state until the Senate confirms current CIA Director Mike Pompeo, two of the officials said.

Other sources, however, told Reuters the delay is also a nod to the fact that Washington has made little progress so far in ending the bitter standoff between Qatar and other Gulf nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The dispute pits key U.S. allies against each other, and has complicated efforts to maintain a united front against Iran. So far, though, it has not affected the U.S. air base in Qatar that supports attacks on Islamic extremists and surveillance of Iran — both of which the Saudis and Emiratis support.

“This was entirely our decision,” one U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said of the delay.

“We have too many irons in the fire in May,” the official added, noting that Trump may be meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month, and that Pompeo has yet to be confirmed to replace Rex Tillerson.

A spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council said the delay was not tied to the tensions over Qatar, adding that, “President Trump is committed to resolving the Gulf dispute this month.”

Trump met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on March 21. He is due to meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani next week, followed by a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

Trump spoke by phone with al Thani on Tuesday and with Saudi King Salman on Monday, emphasizing to each the importance of resolving the Gulf dispute, the White House said.

Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off travel and trade ties with Qatar last June, accusing it of backing their archrival, Iran, and supporting terrorism. Qatar denies the charges and says the boycott is an attempt to impinge on its sovereignty and rein in its support for reform.

A senior U.S. official said the summit was discussed during Salman’s Washington visit, and there was agreement that it would be better to delay the meeting until after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends in mid-June.

“We’ll see what transpires between now and then, but based on the discussions to date, it is hard to be optimistic about a rapprochement” between Qatar and its neighbors, he said.

However, two officials involved in the discussions said there recently have been signs of flexibility, including from Saudi Arabia.

“I think it makes sense (to delay the summit) as there seems to be movement on the beginning of a dialogue and more time to let it develop would be helpful,” one said.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump had separate phone conversations with two leaders of nations in the Persian Gulf region, discussing the ongoing disputes between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbors.

Trump spoke Monday with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar. The White House says Trump stressed the importance of resolving the Persian Gulf dispute in both calls.

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have blockaded Qatar since June, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

With Saudi Arabia, Trump also stressed the importance of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians and discussed efforts to defeat the Islamic State group. With Qatar, he discussed Iran's actions in the region.</s>President Donald Trump had separate phone conversations with two leaders of nations in the Persian Gulf region, discussing the ongoing disputes between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbours. Trump spoke on Monday with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar. The White House says Trump stressed the importance of resolving the Persian Gulf dispute in both calls. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have blockaded Qatar since June, accusing it of supporting terrorism. With Saudi Arabia, Trump also stressed the importance of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians and discussed efforts to defeat the Islamic State group. With Qatar, he discussed Iran’s actions in the region.</s>A Gulf summit that was supposed to take place at the beginning of April in Washington, DC has been postponed to September, a number of United States officials said.

According to Reuters news agency, the decision came as a result of US President Donald Trump's busy schedule of diplomatic meetings, and the absence of a secretary of state, until CIA director Mike Pompeo is officially sworn in.

Some US officials said that the delay was also an indication that Washington had not yet made progress to end the Gulf crisis.

The leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were meant to meet on April 1 for the first time since diplomatic sanctions on Doha was imposed last year by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

The blockading Arab quartet had cut off ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and regional ally Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.

One US official said there was a general consensus that it would be better to postpone the summit after the month of Ramadan, or beyond mid-June, According to Reuters.

The same source added that the summit was discussed during the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, and that there were developments on starting discussions.

"There is a movement to start a dialogue and allow more time for the summit," the official told Reuters.

A spokeswoman for the US National Security Council said that Trump is committed to resolving the Gulf crisis this month, and that the US-Gulf summit was not linked to the Gulf crisis.

Meanwhile the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Haman Al Thani received a telephone call from Trump on Tuesday.

The two leaders discussed strategic relations between Qatar and the United States, including the two countries' joint efforts in combating extremism and terrorism, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.

In a statement, the White House said Trump and the Emir agreed on the importance of regional unity to address security threats.

"The leaders discussed Iran's increasingly reckless behaviour in the region and the threat it poses to regional stability," the statement read.

The statement also said that Trump thanked the Emir for Qatar's continued commitment to counter terrorist financing and extremism.

Trump then contacted Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, and stressed the importance of resolving the Gulf crisis in order to restore the unity of the GCC, to safeguard the security of the people in the region.</s>DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar faces possible further sanctions by Arab states that have severed ties with Doha over allegations of links to terrorism, as a deadline to accept their demands is expected to expire on Sunday night.

 Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the demands were made to be rejected, adding that the Arab ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country's sovereignty.

 State news agency QNA reported that he would inform the ruler of Kuwait, a neutral Gulf Arab country seeking to mediate in the spat, of Qatar's response on Monday.

 Sheikh Mohammed earlier told reporters in Rome that Doha remained ready to discuss the grievances of its Arab neighbors.

 "This list of demands is made to be rejected. It's not meant to be accepted or ... to be negotiated," Sheikh Mohammed said.

 "The state of Qatar instead of rejecting it as a principle, we are willing to engage in (dialogue), providing the proper conditions for further dialogue." 

 He added that no one had the right to issue an ultimatum to a sovereign country. 

 The feud erupted last month when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran, charges that Doha denies.

 The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago.

 The demands include closing a Turkish military base in Qatar and shutting the Al Jazeera pan-Arab television network, which Doha also rejected. 

 Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said on Sunday.

 "At the invitation of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, there will be a quartet meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Cairo on Wednesday July 5 to follow up on the developing situation regarding relations with Qatar," Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

 A State Department official said on Sunday that the United States encourages "all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions. We are not going to get ahead of those discussions. We fully support Kuwaiti mediation." 

 Qatar's Gulf critics accuse Al Jazeera of being a platform for extremists and an agent of interference in their affairs. The network has rejected the accusations and said it will maintain its editorial independence.

 

 FRESH PENALTIES

 Gulf countries have insisted the demands were non- negotiable.

 The UAE ambassador to Russia has said that Qatar could face fresh sanctions if it does not comply with the demands. 

 Gulf states could ask their trading partners to choose between working with them or with Doha, he said in a newspaper interview last week.

 They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar. 

 A more serious sanction would be to ban investors from holding Qatari assets, but authorities have given no sign of doing this.

 Qatar's stock market fell sharply on Sunday. The Qatari stock index <.QSI> sank as much as 3.1 percent in thin trade, bringing its losses to 11.9 percent since June 5, when Saudi and the other countries cut diplomatic and trade ties.

 The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, played down the chances of an escalation, saying "the alternative is not escalation but parting ways", suggesting Qatar may be forced out of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

 The Western-backed body was formed in 1981 in the wake of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

 Speaking in Washington last week, the Qatari foreign minister said the GCC was set up to guard against external threats. 

 "When the threat is coming from inside the GCC, there is a suspicion about the sustainability of the organization," Sheikh Mohammed told reporters.

 

 "DAVID AND GOLIATH"

 Qataris appeared defiant on Sunday, with newspapers decrying a "siege" and sharing on social media a cartoon of David and Goliath to illustrate Qatar's struggle with its larger neighbors.

 A Qatari artist whose portrait of Qatar's emir has been draped from skyscrapers and affixed to car windows across the capital signed T-shirts for Qataris at a museum on Saturday.

 "As you see, the photo is now all over, it's a sign of loyalty to the emir and love for the country," he said. 

 Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah bin Yahiya al-Moallemi, said on Twitter that Qatar had failed to take opportunities offered by its neighbors in the past to stop supporting terrorism.

 "Qatar had insisted on shaking the security of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and interfering in the affairs of countries in the region," Moallemi said.

 The crisis has hit travel, food imports and ratcheted up tensions in the Gulf and sown confusion among businesses, while pushing Qatar closer to Iran and Turkey.

 But it has not hit energy exports from Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and home to the region's biggest U.S. military base.

 The rift opened days after U.S. President Donald Trump met Arab leaders in Riyadh and called for unity against regional threats such as Iran and hardline Islamist militant groups.

 

 (Reporting by Sylvia Westall, Tom Finn, Rania El Gamal, Philip Pullella and Yeganeh Torbati; Additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)</s>A Gulf summit that was supposed to take place at the beginning of April in Washington, DC has been postponed to September, a number of United Statesofficials said, Al Jazeera reports.

According to Reuters news agency, the decision came as a result of US President Donald Trump's busy schedule of diplomatic meetings, and the absence of a secretary of state, until CIA director Mike Pompeo is officially sworn in.

Some US officials said that the delay was also an indication that Washington had not yet made progress to end the Gulf crisis.

The leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were meant to meet on April 1 for the first time since diplomatic sanctions on Doha were imposed last year by the aforementioned countries including, Bahrain and Egypt.

One US official said there was a general consensus that it would be better to postpone the summit after the month of Ramadan, or beyond mid-June, according to Reuters.</s>SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador is discussing a deal with Qatar under which Salvadoran migrants facing the loss of their right to stay in the United States could live and work temporarily in the Middle Eastern country, the government of the Central American nation said on Tuesday.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration said that as of September 2019, it would eliminate the temporary protected status, or TPS, that allows some 200,000 Salvadorans to live in the United States without fear of deportation.

 Presidential communications chief Eugenio Chicas said El Salvador was in talks to see how Salvadorans could be employed in Qatar, a wealthy country of some 2.6 million people that is scheduled to host the soccer World Cup in 2022.

 "The kingdom of Qatar ... has held out the possibility of an agreement with El Salvador whereby Salvadoran workers could be brought across in phases (to Qatar)," Chicas told reporters.

 After an unspecified period, the Salvadorans would return home, Chicas added, without saying how many workers the program could encompass.

 El Salvador's foreign minister, Hugo Martinez, is in Qatar until Friday and said in a statement that Salvadorans could work in engineering, aircraft maintenance, construction and agriculture.

 Martinez also noted that Qatar had offered to provide health services to the Central American country, which is struggling with a weak economy and gang violence.

 

 (Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Editing by Peter Cooney)</s>QNB, the largest bank by assets in the Middle East and Africa, is active in Egypt and Turkey and has made forays into Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, Indonesia and China.

QATAR National Bank (QNB) aims to increase its profit by 5-8 per cent this year and loans and investments by 10-12 per cent, helped by expansion into faster-growing South-east Asia markets, its CEO told Reuters.

QNB, the largest bank by assets in the Middle East and Africa, is active in Egypt and Turkey and has made forays into Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, Indonesia and China.

"Our strategy and vision is to become among the leading banks in the Middle East, Africa and South-east Asia. We have expanded our region to include South-east Asia by 2020 and to be one of the main players in the South-east Asia region," said group chief executive Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari.

The bank reported a 6 per cent rise in annual profit to 13.1 billion riyals (S$4.7 billion) in 2017. QNB would look for markets that are growing faster than Qatar's growth of 2-4 per cent a year, chief financial officer Ramzi Talat Mari told Reuters.

Potential acquisitions should control at least 4-5 per cent of the local market and have an internal rate of return of no less than 15 per cent within three years.

Mr al-Kuwari said QNB had no plans to issue public US dollar bonds in the near future despite still having room to do so under an approved programme of up to US$17.5 billion of international bonds, of which it has utilised only 60-70 per cent. "At the moment we don't need it, we are very liquid," he added.

QNB has recently used various types of debt instruments, including Kangaroo and Formosa bonds, to refill its coffers in an effort to diversify funding resources amid the embargo imposed on Qatar by other Arab states. QNB has borrowed over US$2.3 billion through private placements this year.

Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied gas, is planning to expand its capacity by almost a quarter to 100 million tonnes from the current 77 million tonnes by adding new trains as well as building new petrochemical units together with global oil majors and other partners.

The projects are estimated to cost up to US$40 billion and Mr al-Kuwari said QNB would take an active role in lending to the new phase of Qatar's hydrocarbon boom, which is set to power its economy for the next few decades. "Qatar Petroleum has a lot of money ... But in terms of financing, we want to take a bigger role in this. We are bigger now," he noted. REUTERS</s>US President Donald Trump is "milking Gulf countries" and exploiting tensions in the Middle East to bolster its arms sales.

That's according to Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara, who was commenting shortly after the US leader told Saudi Arabia it needed to pay up if it wanted the US to continue its fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Syria.

Bishara said the US was acting like a "mercenary" and putting itself forward for the service of whoever was willing to pay highest.

The US was also benefiting financially from both sides of the ongoing Gulf crisis, he went on to add.

"While on the one hand the United States does want Gulf unity under an American umbrella, I think President Trump is having a good time exploiting this crisis," Bishara said, referring to the crisis between a Saudi-led bloc and Qatar, which has seen both sides pen lucrative arms deals with the US.

"Certainly he's milking the various Gulf countries in a major way. I mean it was embarassing even for the Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] the way [Trump] brought that sign saying we are selling you this much hundreds of millions, this much billions in arms while they were meeting in the White House.

"For every possible service, he would ask for money in return.

"He's done that with the United Arab Emirates, with Qatar, with Saudi Arabia, with Kuwait and so forth."

Ostensibly at least, Trump has spoken against US intervention in the Middle East and described is as both costly and deadly in terms of US lives lost.

Trump told supporters at a rally in the state of Ohio that he wanted US troops out of Syria soon.

While initially taking the Saudi side in its dispute with Qatar, Trump has since taken a more neutral approach.</s>ANKARA/KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing partial implementation of President Donald Trump's travel ban has stirred anger and confusion in parts of the Middle East, with would-be visitors worried about their travel plans and their futures.

 The blanket 90-day ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries - Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - and a 120-day ban on all refugees was completely blocked by lower courts after Trump issued it on March 6, saying it was needed to prevent terrorism attacks. 

 On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled the bans could proceed, though only for foreigners with no "bona fide relationship" with an American entity or person, and it did not specify what that meant. The ruling left some in the Middle East wondering if they would be able to enter the United States.

 "It's a big disappointment for me," said a 52-year-old Sudanese man in the capital Khartoum, who believed he would now be rejected for a visa to visit relatives in the United States.

 The man, who declined to be identified, said he wouldn't know the outcome until at least Sunday, when the U.S. Embassy opens again after a string of national holidays.

 "I've traveled to America before and I don't know why I'm prevented from traveling (now). I didn't violate American law during my previous visits," he told Reuters.

 At the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, where there is normally a queue out the door of people waiting to process visa applications, a Reuters reporter saw few people.

 Middle East airlines have yet to receive a directive from the United States following the ruling, industry sources told Reuters on Wednesday. The sources said U.S. flights would continue to operate as normal until guidance is received.

 Major airlines based in the region include Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways.

 Iranian nationals attempting to get visas at the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara - Washington does not have an embassy in Iran - also expressed concern. 

 "What is the reason behind this law? It's all very unclear," said Masoud, a 28-year-old engineer who was applying for a student visa after being accepted into a doctoral program at a university in Dallas, Texas. "This is not fair." 

 Nearby, another Iranian national, 27-year-old Nima, also said he was hoping to get a visa to pursue an advanced degree in the United States.

 "I just hope that I can get my visa soon and on time," he told Reuters. "We don't know anything about where this may lead, but I wish they would extract Iran from this country list." 

 

 (Additional reporting by Dominic Evans in Istanbul and Alexander Cornwell in Dubai; Writing by David Dolan; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Reuters reports the United States' planned meeting this spring with Gulf Arab leaders is postponed because of the ongoing dispute between Qatar and other U.S. allies in the Middle East.