US ready to sell $12bn worth jet deal with Qatar

Washington: The US agreed to sell the American F-15 warplanes worth $ 12 billion in the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Doha and neighboring Gulf countries. "Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis met today (Wednesday) with Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid al-Attiyah to discuss concluding steps in finalising the Foreign Military Sales purchase of US-manufactured F-15 fighter aircraft by the State of Qatar," Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Roger Cabiness told CNN. "The $12 billion sale will give Qatar a state of the art capability and increase security cooperation and interoperability between the US and Qatar." 

"The Secretary and Minister also discussed mutual security interests including the current status of activities against IS (Islamic State), and the importance of escalating tensions so as to focus on the next steps in meeting all the partners in the general area of the Gulf region," added the cabiness. The Qatari defence ministry issued a statement Wednesday hailing the F-15 deal. "This agreement underscores the longstanding commitment of the State of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the US," CNN quoted al-Attiyah as saying in the statement. He praised US-Qatar relations for both countries "Their military support has been strengthened by fighting for a number of years together in an effort to eradicate terrorism."

The announcement comes after a week three Gulf countries -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates -- along with Egypt moved to cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar, host to the one of the Pentagon's largest military bases in the Middle East, after claiming that Doha funds terrorist groups. More Arab and Muslim-majority African countries later joined the diplomatic blockade, even as several powers have called for resolving the crisis. US officials Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have called for the crisis to be de-escalated and on Wednesday while appearing before the House foreign affairs committee, reports CNN. The House Armed Services Committee said Monday that the real estate diplomatic situation "very complex", Recognizing the large US military presence, and bringing the US-Qatar military ties closer.