Egypt refutes Qatari blockade allegations in UN Geneva session

The Qatari Emir stresses his desire of having a dialogue, Egyptian FM maintains quartet conditions

Egypt’s permanent delegate to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Amr Ramadan, refuted Friday, the Qatari allegations in the Human Rights Council that Qatar is under blockade by the Arab Quartet, justifying the position of the four countries boycotting Doha.

Ramadan added that boycotting Qatar is a right of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain, due to the negative impact of Doha’s policies in supporting terrorism, which resulted in the loss of many civilian lives in Egypt.

Speaking at a discussion session in the UN Human Rights Council, Amr said that “the Qatari support for terror organisations is against the international law for human rights, and the council’s regarded resolutions including resolutions adopted by Qatar itself, such as these regarding criminalising the political, financial, and logistic support for terror organisations.”

Meanwhile, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned the Qatari nationals of travelling to Egypt because of“the security measures taken by the Egyptian authorities against the Qatari nationals when entering Egypt,” according to an official statement issued by the consulate administration in the Qatari Foreign Ministry on Friday.

On 5 June, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain cut their diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar.The four governments accused the oil-rich country of supporting terrorism, supporting Iran, and disturbing security and stability in the region, charges that Doha denies.

On Thursday, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, asserted in a meeting with his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, that the Arab Quartet is insistent in its position “until it stops its support for terror groups that destabilised the region”.

During his visit to London to attend a meeting regarding the Libyan crisis, Shoukry pointed out that the Quartet is open for dialogue if Doha committed to the 13 demands.

Is his first foreign tour since the beginning of the Gulf crisis, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, expressed on Friday in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin his country’s readiness for dialogue with the four boycotting countries to end the conflict, without mentioning the quartet’s demands, conditions which Qatar previously refuted on grounds of their interference with its sovereignty.

Merkel expressed her concerns for continuing the crisis, adding that she supports the Kuwaiti and US mediation to end the crisis.

Moreover, following a meeting with the Qatari Emir in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron demanded “lifting the embargo on people of Qatar as soon as possible,” expressing his concerns regarding the crisis, which he believes it threatens the regional stability in the Middle East.

The latest Gulf crisis is the biggest in the Gulf region since the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 1981.The crisis witnessed a dramatic breakthrough for only one hour last week, when the Qatari Emir initiated a phone call to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Only one hour after the call which is believed to be the first official contact between Doha and Riyadh since the beginning of the crisis the Saudi Kingdom announced suspending any communications and dialogues with Qatari authorities until Doha issues a clear statement clarifying its position in public.The Saudi side accused the Qatari news agency QNA of distorting the content of the phone call.