Dubai - US Air Force Chief of Staff
David Goldfein said on Saturday he was hopeful a bitter dispute
between Gulf Arab states could soon end and urged them to unify
military capabilities as tensions with Iran simmer.
Washington sees an ongoing political rift that Saudi Arabia,
the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and non-Gulf state Egypt have
with Qatar as a threat to efforts to contain Iran and has pushed
for a united front.
However, in a sign the dispute may be easing, Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, and Bahrain said this week they would compete in
regional soccer tournament in Qatar despite a boycott they have
imposed on Doha.
"Certainly I am hopeful," Goldfein told Reuters in Dubai
when asked if he thought the rift could soon be resolved. "It's
certainly in our best interest to see if they can come to a
political solution."
Washington has unsuccessfully tried to mediate the dispute,
in which the four nations have severed political, trade and
transport ties with Qatar since mid-2017 over accusations it
supports terrorism.
Doha denies the charge and says the embargo aims to impinge
on its sovereignty.
The United States is allied to all six Gulf Arab states.
Qatar hosts Al-Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military
facility in the region, while Bahrain is home to the Navy's
Fifth Fleet.
Goldfein earlier pressed the Gulf states to resolve their
differences and work together to defend against the threat he
said Iran poses to their security.
"When a missile or a UAV (drone) is en route from Iran that
is not the time to reconcile past grievances. That time is now.
Today," he said at an air chiefs conference.
The United States blames Iran for a series of attacks in the
Gulf over the summer, including the Sept. 14 missile and drone
attack on Saudi Arabia that temporarily shut down half the
kingdom's oil production. Tehran denies involvement.
"No one country has everything it needs to defend itself but
together we have exactly what we need for collective defense,"
Goldfein said.
"We have the power to begin this right now as we face a
common adversary who seems committed to malign behavior across
the region."
Gulf military chiefs last month called for unified efforts
between their armed forces following the attack on Saudi Arabia.
Emphasising the principle of collective security, Goldfein
said the best chance to defend the UAE could be from Qatar or
neighbouring Oman.
"Neighbours to the right and to the left who by
geometry-alone have a better shot," he said.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and
Clelia Oziel)