US President Donald Trump meets Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (L) and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani (R) aboard Air Force One
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDSUS President Donald Trump on Saturday thanked Qatar's emir and prime minister for being a "big factor" in helping secure a Gaza ceasefire deal, during a refueling stop on his way to Asia.
The Qatari leaders boarded Air Force One when it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the regional headquarters for the US military and thousands of American troops.
Trump said the duo had played a crucial role in the Middle East peace process, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had been his "friend to the world."
"What we've done is incredible peace to the Middle East, and they were a very big factor in it," Trump said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fresh off a trip to Israel as part of an all-out diplomatic push by Washington to keep the Gaza truce on track, was present for the meeting with Qatar's leaders.
Trump is traveling to Asia for the first time since retaking office in January, with two regional summits and face-to-face meetings with China's Xi Jinping and other leaders on the agenda.
Qatar has played a key mediating role in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas since the outbreak of the war, and is among the guarantors of the fragile peace deal, along with Egypt, the United States and Turkey.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week to discuss the highly sensitive next steps in the deal, including the establishment of a security force in Gaza and the fate of Hamas.
Qatar's prime minister has also been a key negotiator since the outbreak of the war following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
The talks aboard Air Force One came as Israel conducted an air strike targeting an alleged Islamic Jihad militant in Gaza.
Despite the ceasefire between Hamas, an ally of Islamic Jihad, and Israel, the latter reserves the right to defend itself and its forces from militant attacks.
"Let's see what they do over the next 48 hours. I am watching this very closely," Trump said on his Truth Social platform after the talks with Qatar's leaders.
bur-sst/sla
Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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