US, Qatar sign deal to fight against terror financing

By Medhat Abdul-Majid

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - Qatar and the United States signed a deal to combat terrorism financing on Tuesday, a move that comes as the Gulf crisis continues.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, arrived in Doha earlier Tuesday as part of a Gulf tour that saw him in Kuwait earlier; he is expected to visit Saudi Arabia later.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. They also imposed a land, sea, and air blockade on Qatar. The four states have presented a list of demands for Qatar, including the closure of the pan-Arab Al Jazeera television, or face further sanctions.

Qatar denies the accusations, saying the blockade was in violation of international law.

The anti-terror financing memorandum of understanding was signed during a meeting held between Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and his U.S. counterpart Tillerson in Doha.

Later, at a joint news conference, Tillerson hailed Qatar for its effort "to track down and disable terror financing," according to Al-Jazeera.

"The U.S. has one goal: To drive terrorism off the face of the Earth," he said.

"Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe," he added.

On efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, Tillerson said he would go to Saudi Arabia with a view to discuss options for resolving the current crisis.

The Qatari foreign minister said "several things have been agreed during the meeting"; however, he did not specify exactly what had been settled.

"The main outcome was the signing of the memorandum of understanding to combat terrorism and to develop its mechanisms," he added.