OSTRACISED REGIME FAILS TO MEND WAYS
QATAR ATTEMPTS TO CELEBRATE THE ONE YEAR BOYCOTT BY GULF STATES WITH POMP AS IT REFUSES TO CHANGE COURSE AND SEVER ITS TIES WITH TERRORIST OUTFITS
It has now been one year since Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have boycotted Qatar, which failed to change its course and continues to support and fund terror outfits including the Muslim Brotherhood group.
The Qatar government’s media arm Al Jazeera has been endlessly distorting facts and undermining the interests of its neighbours. Most analysts expect the Gulf crisis to remain there for a long time.
Analysts could not see any sign the crisis would be resolved sooner despite the pressure exerted by the US administration to settle the simmering issue between its Gulf allies.
The Quartet — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt — is still awaiting Qatar’s response to its 13 demands, which are rooted in the six basic principles announced earlier.
Those monitoring the Gulf crisis closely can see tension growing with both sides trading charges. Qatar tried to escape blame for funding terror groups in the region by signing an anti-terror agreement with the US. Yet, later Qatar was found supporting radical groups in different areas of the region, including Syria.
While Qatar’s media claim Doha has changed its policy, it is seen standing by the Houthi militias in Yemen, dealing a blow to the efforts of the Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen.
The Qatari media has not been clear on issues related to role of Turkey and Iran in the region. Qatar appears to endorse Iran policies that fund the militias in Arab countries and reek of open hostility to the GCC states.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash on his Twitter account said he was informed by a Western journalist that Press delegations are heading to Doha on paid leave to attend Qatar’s celebrations to mark one year of boycott.
“Stay as you are”, Gargash said, adding that the Gulf crisis is not yet over since Qatar failed to address the reasons for this crisis; rather it focused on media and celebrations.
The key lesson gained from a year of boycott is that the Qatari rulers are placing their impossible political ambitions above the interests of their people, Gargash added.
Dr AbdulKhaleq Abdullah, a retired Professor of Political Science at UAE University, pointed out that the Gulf crisis may continue for more than a year. He said over 30 million GCC citizens feel sorry and hope this crisis would ends soon.
Abdullah said the key country to be blamed for the Gulf crisis is Qatar and its approach. It could have been more rational and should have met the demands set by the GCC states, he added.
Qatar must not fund and support a group that is deemed to be a terror outfit by other GCC states, he said.
Bahraini writer Sawsan Al Shaaer says Qatar is spending tonnes of money to create a media hype on the anniversary of the boycott. The plan includes TV and press interviews, talk shows, documentaries and planting news articles in local and foreign newspapers.
She said that Qatar has no option but to rely on media to misrepresent facts. Qatar will work overtime to destroy any Arab or Islamic coalition that is led by Saudi Arabia, or any philanthropic work led by the UAE, as the UAE did in Socotra, Sudan, Malaysia, and Yemen by sending relief materials there.
Qatar could spend billion of dollars to spoil any kind of cooperation or alliance between Saudi Arabia and other countries without due consideration to the Arab nationalism or security of the Arab region.
Back in 2014, Amir of Qatar Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad signed the Riyadh agreement on non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries and to cease provocative broadcasts by Qatar’s media against its neighbours.
Qatar also pledged to stop funding the Yemeni factions, which pose a threat to the regional security. It promised to stop the incendiary media campaigns against Egypt and threatening its stability and security by funding and assisting the Muslim Brotherhood group. This agreement clearly states that breaching a single clause is deemed a breach of the entire agreement.
The last clause of the agreement stipulates that in the event of not observing this agreement, other GCC states may do what it takes to maintain GCC’s stability and security.
Therefore, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt decided to sever ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, in line with the clauses of the Riyadh agreement 2014.
It has become evident that all measures taken by the four countries boycotting Qatar had a legal ground, and the 13 demands sought by the Quartet serve as a foundation for a political settlement with Qatar.
The GCC stand on the Gulf crisis was unanimous and collective. A year after the boycott, no tangible change in the Qatari behaviour is seen. The quartet is determined to continue the boycott until Qatar changes its policies even if it takes a decade.
malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com
Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs the Gulf crisis is not yet over since Qatar failed to address the reasons for this crisis; rather it focused on media and celebrations.
Qatar’s economy has suffered on several fronts as new logistics links proved to be more expensive in the short term.” Andreas Krieg, Professor at King’s College London
As for winners and losers, there are clearly no winners thus far, and in many ways everyone has been a loser.” Christopher Davidson, A Middle East politics professor at Durham University