‘Qatar holds the key to end crisis’

AL JUBEIR SAYS DOHA ‘KNOWS BEST’ WHAT TO DO TO UNTANGLE ITSELF FROM CRISIS

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain said that Qatar was aware of what it should do to solve the crisis that has hit the Gulf.

“The solution to the crisis lies with the brothers in Qatar. They know best what they must do,” Adel Al Jubeir, Saudi foreign minister, said in Kuwait on the sidelines of a conference that brought together donors and investors gathered to consider ways to rebuild Iraq’s economy and infrastructure.

“The position of the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] and the other three countries is clear. Our principles are no to terrorism, no to its financing, no to support of extremism and hatred, and no to interfere in the affairs of other countries.

“These are principles that the countries of the world agree upon, and we expect the brothers in Qatar to respond to our demands and proposals,” he said, quoted by Kuwaiti daily Al Rai yesterday.

Bahrain’s foreign minister, Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, representing the kingdom at the conference in Kuwait, said that questions about the end of the crisis should be addressed to Qatar. “The ball is in their field,” he said.

Failed mediation

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar over its continuous support of extremists and terrorist organisations, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Repeated attempts at reconciliation have failed because Qatar has refused to meet the demands of the quartet. “There is no way the crisis can be resolved without Qatar changing its policy,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash said on Saturday.

Kuwait, a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that also comprises Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has been mediating in the worst crisis to hit the alliance since it was established in 1981.

No solution in sight

However, no breakthrough or incremental success has been achieved and there is no solution to the crisis in sight.

The focus of the donors conference was on rebuilding Iraq. In comments about Iran’s destablising role in Iraq, Al Jubeir warned that Tehran’s interference posed “a threat to Iraq and to its unity, stability and security,” stressing that the Iranian presence in Iraq was destructive and not constructive.

The Saudi minister pointed out the danger of “the emergence of terrorist organisations from the womb of Daesh” after the terror group was eliminated in Iraq and its influence curbed in Syria.

“Daesh was defeated in Iraq and it will be defeated in Syria, but the group is changing and moving to other areas,” he said.

The position of the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] and the other three countries is clear. Our principles are no to terrorism, no to its financing, no to support of extremism and hatred, and no to interfere in the affairs of other countries.” Adel Al Jubeir | Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister