Arab News

DOHA: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he wanted to “end conflicts not start them” as he addressed troops at the United States’ sprawling Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Trump visited a US base installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region.

“As president, my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners,” Trump said.

“Our soldiers are fighting against the enemies of civilization and defeating terrorism. Our soldiers embody American power and are the strongest in the world,” he added.

“Qatar will invest $10 billion in Al Udeid Air Base and the US base will soon have the F47 fighter jet,” he explained.

“We will not hesitate to use force to defend America and our allies,” he said.

Earlier, Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani also witnessed the signing of a joint declaration of cooperation between the two governments, and letters of offer and acceptance for MQ-9B drones and the FS-LIDS anti-drone system, Qatar News Agency reported.

President Trump thanked the emir for Qatar’s warm hospitality and described Sheikh Tamim as a longtime friend and trusted partner. “We always had a very special relationship,” he said of the emir.

The President heads to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates as his last stop in his official visit to the GCC.