Page 47 - 082517

Groton Daily Independent
Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 056 ~ 47 of 65
The boycotting countries later issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar, including that Doha shut its diplo- matic posts in Iran. Qatar ignored the demands and let a deadline to comply pass, creating an apparent stalemate in the crisis. Attempts by Kuwait, the U.S. and others have failed to make headway.
In recent days, however, Saudi Arabia announced it would allow Qataris to make the annual hajj pilgrim- age, which is required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life. Saudi state media said that came in part due to an intercession by Qatari royal family member Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, who met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and later a vacationing King Salman in Morocco.
But Sheikh Abdullah has no role in Qatar’s government and his last position was as head of the equestrian and camel racing federation decades ago. Sheikh Abdullah’s grandfather, father and brother were rulers of Qatar until a palace coup ousted his branch of the royal family in 1972. There have been suggestions that the sheikh could be the start of a Qatari government-in-exile.
But Ulrichsen cautioned that so far, the Saudi moves appeared to be more needling than anything else.
“Given that a formal escalation in terms of sanctions is probably off the table for now, we’re seeing this informal pressure on Qatar ... to try and perhaps stir the pot,” the professor said. “I think the informal pressure is increasing because of the lack of formal alternative measures they can realistically hope to place on Qatar.”
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Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at http:// apne.ws/2galNpz .
Charlottesville mayor says he was shut out of security talks
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Charlottesville of cials met privately Thursday to discuss “personnel matters” in the wake of a deadly white nationalist rally, the city’s mayor said in a statement in which he also asserted he’d been largely shut out of security preparations for the event.
In a lengthy statement on Facebook posted ahead of the meeting, Mayor Mike Signer wrote that under Charlottesville’s form of government, the city manager “has total operational authority” over events like the Aug. 12 rally.
Signer, who has a spot on the ve-person City Council, said the group was not given the security plan for the rally. He also wrote that when he asked during a brie ng days before the event what he could do to be helpful, Police Chief Al Thomas responded, “Stay out of my way.”
The statement comes as city leaders are facing scrutiny over their response to the event, believed to be the largest gathering of white nationalists in at least a decade. Crowds fought violently in the streets, one woman was killed when a car plowed into a group of counter-protesters, and two state troopers died when their helicopter crashed.
Charlottesville residents, rally organizers and law enforcement experts are among those who have criticized the city’s handling of the lead-up to the rally and the chaos that ensued. Anger boiled over at a city council meeting earlier this week, where scores of people screamed and cursed at councilors. Some called for the leaders to resign.
Signer said the events on Aug. 12 “raised serious questions about the city’s handling of security, com- munications, and governance.”
Those are questions that the city council should ask “as the ultimate authority over the city manager,” he wrote.
The council met behind closed doors Thursday morning. Signer and Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy told report- ers as they exited that Thomas and City Manager Maurice Jones were still employed.
Councilors discussed “an array of different things that transpired and how we can improve,” Bellamy told The Associated Press, declining to elaborate further because the meeting was a closed session.