US floats idea of upgrading Qatar to 'non-NATO ally'
A senior State Department official made the suggestion amid a White House push for Arab states to recognize Israel following this year's strategic dialogue with Qatar.
The Donald Trump administration is hoping to upgrade its partnership with Qatar to the status of "non-NATO ally," a senior State Department official said Thursday.
“We're going to move ahead, we hope, with designating Qatar a major non-NATO ally,” US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs Timothy Lenderking said on a call with reporters.
Spokespeople for the State Department and for Qatar's government did not immediately return Al-Monitor’s request for comment. Reuters first reported the official’s statement.
Qatar houses the largest US military base in the Middle East, al-Udeid, at which some 10,000 US troops are typically present.
