The United States has suspended military and economic talks with Qatar to protest the Persian Gulf sheikdom's unauthorized acquisition of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, U.S. diplomats said Wednesday. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy said the suspension would remain in place until Qatar returns the missiles to the United States. ``What we have done is to place on hold a number of agreements that were under consideration,'' Murphy told the House subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East. ``We consider it very much in the interests of developing the solid relationship with Qatar that those missiles be returned soonest. And we've made that very clear,'' he added. Murphy himself made an official protest when he visited the Qatari capital of Doha last month. Another official, speaking on condition he not be named, said Qatar had been seeking several military and economic agreements with the United States, including the purchase of weapons. ``We told them everything is frozen,'' he added. ``Relations are now correct but cool.'' The United States does not have any defense cooperation with Qatar but considers the country important as a member of the pro-Western Gulf Cooperation Council which includes Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. U.S. officials wants to get the Stingers back in order to see their serial numbers and determine where Qatar got them. The United States first learned of the Stingers' presence in Qatar last March, when an embassy official saw one of the rockets in television footage of a military parade. U.S. officials say they do not know how many of the shoulder-fired rockets Qatar has. They have speculated that Qatar was given the Stingers by Iran, which in turn captured them from the U.S.-supplied Afghan rebels fighting against the Soviet occupation of their country. Other officials say Qatar may have bought the missiles on the black market, although that possibility is less likely. Strict controls apply to the sale of the Stingers, which are considered of great value to terrorists because they are portable and highly accurate. In response to questioning, Murphy said the United States was not considering recalling its ambassador to Qatar who heads a tiny mission of five Americans. Such a move would not be in the interests of maintaining relations with the pro-Western oil state, Murphy said. The ambassador ``is the only one with access to decision makers'' there, he added. Qatar contends it needs the missiles for self-defense and has rejected any attempts by U.S. officials to even see them.
