Arab powers add people, groups to blacklist

DUBAI: Four Arab states that cut ties with Qatar this week over its alleged support of terrorism yesterday designated dozens of people with alleged links to Qatar as terrorists, intensifying a row that threatens the region’s stability.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain branded 59 people, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qaradawi, as terrorists.

Their joint statement listed 12 entities, among them Qatarifunded charities Qatar Charity and Eid Charity, as having terrorist links.

The announcement intensifies the diplomatic and economic campaign to isolate Qatar, a small Gulf Arab state which is a critical global supplier of gas and hosts the biggest United States military base in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE listed scores of organisations in a 2014 spat with Qatar.

Qatar dismissed the latest move by its neighbours, saying it “reinforces baseless allegations that hold no foundation in fact”.

“Our position on countering terrorism is stronger than many of the signatories of the joint statement, a fact that has been conveniently ignored by the authors,” the Qatari government said in a statement.

Qatar said it led the region in attacking the roots of terrorism, giving young people hope through jobs, educating hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and funding community programmes to challenge extremist agendas.

The four Arab states severed relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their arch-adversary Iran; charges Qatar rejects. Several other countries later followed suit.

Would-be mediators, including US President Donald Trump and Kuwait’s ruling emir, have struggled to ease a crisis that Qataris said had led to a blockade of their nation.

Trump initially took sides with the Saudi-led group before being nudged into a more even-handed approach. Reuters