US criticises some demands by Saudi Arabia and its allies

By Carol Morello   (c) 2017, The Washington Post ·June 25, 2017 -   Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday criticised some of the demands by Saudi Arabia and its allies on Qatar as “very difficult” to meet, he asked the countries to tamp down the rhetoric and start negotiating.   

The statement by Tillerson was his first response to the list of 13 demands leaked to the Associated Press on Friday. The ultimatum gave Qatar 10 days to shut down the Arabic news network Al Jazeera, halt all contact with groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, reduce co-operation with Iran and oust Turkish troops from Qatar.