Abu Dhabi // The UAE ambassador to Washington said the Trump administration should consider moving all or parts of the largest US military base in the region out of Qatar.
While moving the base is not an explicit goal of the isolation of Qatar by other Gulf countries, “if anyone asks we’d be willing to have that conversation”, Mr Al Otaiba said.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have severed relations with Doha, cut travel and commerce links, and ordered most Qatari citizens to leave their countries, over their GCC neighbour’s support for a range of Islamist groups as well as its ties with Iran. Qatar denies the charge that it supports extremist militants.
Mr Al Otaiba said that “there is absolutely no military component to anything that we are doing”. But, he said, additional measures that increase economic pressure on Doha could be applied if the crisis is not quickly resolved.
“Maybe someone in Congress should have a hearing and just say, you know, ‘Should we consider moving it?’” the ambassador said in Washington on Tuesday. “And maybe not moving the entire base. Maybe just distribute to various countries so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket.”
Mr Al Otaiba said he has assured the US defence secretary Jim Mattis that the unprecedented crisis within the GCC will not affect operations at Al Udeid airbase that is Washington’s forward headquarters for its military’s Central Command, which runs operations across the region and is staffed by over 10,000 troops.
He suggested the US forces could be relocated to the UAE, which signed a new defence cooperation agreement with Washington last month that covers US military assets based in the UAE.
The base is a key factor in Qatar’s national security strategy to deter military action, and the ambassador suggested that Donald Trump should use this leverage to force Qatar to end its support for Islamist groups that the UAE, Saudi and other countries consider to be terrorist organisations.
The UAE and its allies will “fairly soon” provide a list to US officials of the specific steps they are demanding Qatar take in order for the crisis to be resolved, Mr Al Otaiba said. The specifics will fall within three broad categories: support for extremist groups and ideology; meddling in the internal affairs of neighbours; and Qatar-backed media that is used as a platform for attacking the UAE, Saudi, Bahrain and Egypt.
The ambassador’s remarks come as diplomatic efforts by regional and world powers have failed to produce a breakthrough, and as the US secretary of state Rex Tillerson attempts to spearhead a US-led mediation process in Washington.
The US administration itself is divided, with Mr Trump calling on Qatar to end its support for extremists, without coordination with the state or defence departments and contradicting Mr Tillerson, the Washington Post reported.
Mr Tillerson said last week that all Gulf countries must do a better job of cutting off funding for terrorist groups and urged all sides to de-escalate.
Asked about such calls to reduce tensions, Mr Al Otaiba said “that’s not going to happen”.
Qatari officials have also not publicly shown any willingness to acknowledge the UAE and Saudi concerns, let alone accede to them. Qatar’s closest ally, Turkey, has also heightened its rhetoric after accelerating plans to deploy more troops to its base near Doha.
On Tuesday, the state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Mr Tillerson and Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir “talked about the need and the agreement to come together, to work together”. She said the mood was now hopeful and that the approach of both officials “believes that the worst is behind us”.
Mr Tillerson is reportedly working to arrange talks between Saudi, Emirati and Qatari officials, potentially foreign ministers, as early as this week, but so far no plans have been announced.
Mr Trump’s personal stance backing one side may undermine his envoy’s credibility and his ability to broker a negotiations process.
A threat by the US to move its base may bring Qatar to the table ready to give concessions, but the Pentagon is unlikely to support a move, not only because it would cost a huge sum of money. A key element of the US strategic posture in the Gulf is also to locate bases in a number of countries, not one aligned bloc.
US officials, aside from Mr Trump, also refuse to call Qatar a sponsor of terrorist groups and it has not been legally designated so by the US.
Addressing a House committee earlier this week, Mr Mattis said that “we’ve obviously got shared interests with Qatar”.
He added that the US and the GCC states “all agree that the funding of any kind of terrorist group is inimical to all of our interests, and I believe that [Qatar] is moving in the right direction”.
Mr Al Otaiba said both his country and the US had allowed “bad behaviour” by Qatar to continue for “a very long time”.
tkhan@thenational.ae
The specs
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Vidaamuyarchi
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Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
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Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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The 15 players selected
Muzzamil Afridi, Rahman Gul, Rizwan Haider (Dezo Devils); Shahbaz Ahmed, Suneth Sampath (Glory Gladiators); Waqas Gohar, Jamshaid Butt, Shadab Ahamed (Ganga Fighters); Ali Abid, Ayaz Butt, Ghulam Farid, JD Mahesh Kumara (Hiranni Heros); Inam Faried, Mausif Khan, Ashok Kumar (Texas Titans
