MIDDLE EAST/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In a telephone call this month with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, President Donald Trump demanded that the kingdom and its Arab partners quickly end a nearly year-old dispute with Qatar that has left U.S. allies in the region fractured, according to two U.S. officials briefed on the conversation. Trump wants the rift healed to restore unity among Arab Gulf states and present a united front against Iran, said the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss high-level diplomatic communications. Trump’s tone in the April 2 call with Salman was described by one official as ‘forceful.’ It was not clear what the king’s response was. Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut off travel and trade ties with Qatar last June, accusing it of backing their arch-rival, Iran, and supporting terrorism. Qatar denies the charges and says the boycott impinges on its sovereignty.”
-Warren Strobel, John Walcott, “In call with Saudi king, Trump demanded quick end to Gulf rift: U.S. officials,” Reuters, April 11, 2018 1:05 pm