WASHINGTON DC, United States (Reuters) – The United States is increasingly concerned that a dispute between Qatar and other Arab states is at an impasse and could drag on for a long time or intensify, the US State Department said on Thursday (July 6).
“We remain very concerned about that ongoing situation between Qatar and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told a briefing.
“We’ve become increasingly concerned that that dispute is at an impasse at this point. We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks, it could drag on for months. It could possibly even intensify,” she said.
On North Korea, the US believes China can do much more to increase pressure on North Korea over its nuclear arms and ballistic missile programs and will continue to urge Beijing to curb Pyongyang’s activities, the State Department said.
Nauert also told reporters at a briefing that Washington sees no equivalence between North Korea’s weapons programs and US-South Korean military exercises.
As a result, she said, the US opposes a Russian-Chinese plan calling for both sides to freeze their activities.