No alternative to Gulf unity: UAE minister

States urged to rally behind Saudi Arabia

DUBAI, May 27: The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs has called for Gulf states to rally behind Saudi Arabia, Gulf news reported.

In a turbulent region, there is no alternative to Gulf unity, and Saudi Arabia is the linchpin, Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates signalled frustration at Qatar after its state media published purported remarks by Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani criticising Gulf rhetoric against Iran and suggesting tensions between the emir and US President Donald Trump.

Since the dispute erupted, authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have blocked the main website of Qatarbased Al Jazeera television.

On Friday some Al Jazeera television channels were also still blocked.

The latest tensions came days after Gulf Arab leaders met Trump at a Riyadh summit of Muslim nations meant to showcase solidarity against Islamist militants and Irans regional meddling.

Relations between Qatar and other Gulf Arab states suffered an eightmonth breach in 2014 over Qatars support for the Muslim Brotherhood.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in protest.

Eight months later, they returned their ambassadors as Qatar forced some Brotherhood members to leave the country and quieted others.

In the time since, Qatar repeatedly and strongly denied it funds extremist groups. However, it remains a key financial patron of the Hamascontrolled Gaza Strip and has been the home of exiled Hamas official Khalid Mashaal since 2012.

Western officials also have accused Qatar of allowing or even encouraging funding of extremists like Al Qaidas branch in Syria, once known as Al Nusra Front.