UK URGED TO PRESSURE QATAR TO END SUPPORT FOR EXTREMISM
UAE ambassador to London says Britain risks being accused of putting its economic interests first
Britain must step up pressure on Qatar to end its support for extremism to avoid giving the impression it is putting its economic interests before security concerns, the UAE’s ambassador in London has said.
Sulaiman Al Mazroui indicated his fears that the large scale of Qatari investments in the UK could result in Britain adopting a softer line with Doha.
Mr Al Mazroui, a seasoned diplomat who has also served as Head of the UAE Mission to the European Union, warned that regional instability caused by Qatari policies could rebound on the UK.
When asked if Qatar’s British investments, which are worth tens of billions of dollars, could be deterring the UK authorities from being tougher with Doha, Mr Al Mazroui said there “could be an element of that”.
“The UK understands where we come from … but we understand that the UK must be a lot more forthcoming with us if they’re genuinely trying to pursue a policy of counter-extremism.
“They must put extra pressure on Qatar,” Mr Al Mazroui said.
“Any country would like to have its interests preserved. They don’t want to offend the investors, but let’s face it, there’s no investment that’s safe.
“You can have investment in real estate and finance and industry, but all this is going to be nothing if the country investing is not safe and not secure and not stable.”
He called on the British leadership to “put more pressure on Qatar to adhere to our line of concern” and highlighted the fact that Britain’s bilateral trade with the UAE is much larger than it is with Qatar.
In other developments yesterday, retired US general Anthony Zinni and deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Gulf affairs Timothy Lenderking arrived in Abu Dhabi as part of a tour of the region to break the stalemate.
Mr Zinni is a widely respected and well-connected figure in the region who cemented US military relations with GCC partners in the 1990s when serving as the head of US central command.
He met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, at Al Shati Palace for talks.Qatar’s big-ticket investments in London have grabbed headlines in recent years, with the country buying up assets ranging from the US embassy building, which will be turned into a hotel, to the prestigious Harrods department store.
London’s biggest property owner, controlling 21.5 million square feet of real estate, is Canary Wharf Group Investment holdings, which is controlled by the sovereign wealth fund – the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) – and a US investment group, Brookfield. The QIA owns 95 per cent of the iconic London skyscraper the Shard, and Qatari interests also own many of London’s best-known hotels.
Qatar is thought to own UK property worth about US$50 billion (Dh183.7bn), and has stakes in major UK businesses such as the supermarket group Sainsbury’s and Barclays, the