Arab states seek to step up pressure over 2013 accord

DUBAI: Four Arab states sought on Monday to pile pressure on Qatar over charges it backs terrorism, saying the publication of a previously secret accord between Riyadh and Doha showed Qatar broke a promise not to meddle in the affairs of Gulf countries.

The text of the 2013 agreement, whose existence was known but whose contents have never before been made public, was first published by CNN on Monday and later released on social media by Saudi officials.

In a joint statement, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt said the publication of the accord, meant to settle a previous dispute between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, “confirms beyond any doubt Qatar’s failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges.”

The four states slapped sanctions on Doha on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, cosying up to Iran, backing the Muslim Brotherhood, and interference in their affairs.

The four say Qatar pledged to desist from interfering in its neighbours’ politics in the 2013 agreement.

Qatar has rejected the charges and said the four countries are trying to impose their own views on its foreign policies.

The document surfaced as US secretary of state Rex Tillerson arrived in the region to help Washington’s allies hammer out a way out of the crisis that has divided the region.

The 2013 agreement, reached at a meeting in Riyadh hosted by the then Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, was signed by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, while an implementation mechanism was signed by the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers. In the document, the parties agreed to refrain from supporting any “political currents that pose a threat to any member country of the Council”, and provides for Muslim Brotherhood leaders who are non-GCC citizens to leave the area.

A full reading of that text will show that the intent of the 2013/14 agreements was to ensure that sovereign GCC nations be able cooperate within a clear framework SHEIKH SAIF BIN AHMED AL-THANI, director of Qatar’s government communication office