Politics
10:24, 21-Jul-2017
Top US diplomat calls for lifting sanctions against Qatar
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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been traveling between Gulf countries last week to help ease the worst regional dispute in years. On Friday he urged the Saudi-led bloc of four nations to lift sanctions against Qatar. Tillerson said Qatar has stepped up efforts to address concerns about counter-terrorism and voiced its willingness to talk with the four countries.
Qatar's ruler issued a royal decree to amend the country's anti-terrorism laws on Thursday, in a move aimed at countering charges the Gulf Arab country supports terrorism, state news agency QNA reported.
This came less than a week after Doha signed an accord with the US to bolster measures aimed at curbing terrorism financing.
Qatar has been under pressure from four Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, over allegations it supports terrorism, a charge it denies.
QNA, citing a decree issued by the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani amending a 2004 anti-terrorism law, said the amendments set rules for defining terrorism, acts of terrorism, freezing funding and terrorism financing.
It also creates two national terrorism lists and set rules for listing individuals and groups on each list.
Qatar has been struggling to dispel charges it supports terrorism since the four Arab countries imposed sanctions last month.