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Article snippet: SYDNEY, Australia — Hours after four Arab countries broke diplomatic relations with Qatar, a key U.S. ally, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson offered Monday to broker the impasse in hopes of preserving the Trump administration’s efforts to create broad coalitions against Iran and terrorist groups in the Middle East. “We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences,” Mr. Tillerson said, adding a reference to the Gulf Cooperation Council, a group of Persian Gulf countries. “If there’s any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the G.C.C. remain unified.” Mr. Tillerson’s remarks came on the heels of dramatic announcements by United Arab Emirates that they are suspending diplomatic ties, as well as air and sea travel to and from Qatar, potentially choking off access to a crucial United States ally. In its statement, Saudi Arabia urged “all brotherly countries and companies” to do the same. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling the decisions “unjustified.” The split came two weeks after President Trump visited the Saudi capital of Riyadh to offer a tight embrace of the kingdom in hopes that Saudi Arabia could help lead fellow Sunni Arab nations in a fight against extremism and, with Israel, present a united front against Shiite-led Iran. Indeed, Mr. Trump became so enamored of the Saudis that he cast them as the centerpiece of a possible peace deal between ... Link to the full article to read more