SEIZURE OF BAHRAINI VESSELS BY QATAR ADDS TO TENSIONS

▶ Doha admits detaining 16 sailors, claiming trespass in its waters

Bahrain has accused Qatari authorities of illegally seizing three boats carrying 16 sailors in the past three days.

This raises the number of boats seized by Qatar to 15 and the number of sailors in its custody to 20, Bahraini coastguard commander Ala’a Siyadi said.

Some of the incidents go back to 2009.

Qatar confirmed detaining the fishing boats, claiming they had entered its waters illegally.

It said the sailors would be released soon.

The incident is likely to exacerbate a tense situation between the two countries.

Bahrain is one of four Arab countries boycotting Qatar for funding extremism and interfering in the domestic affairs of its neighbours.

Cmdr Siyadi urged the parties involved to show their commitment to legal procedures in accordance with international conventions on maritime safety.

He said the coastguard has been taking the steps required to have the sailors and the boats released.

Bahrain and Qatar have been in dispute over islands situated between the two countries.

Tensions peaked in the 1980s, when Bahrain established a military presence on one of the disputed islands. Qatar said the move was a breach of their agreement to maintain a status quo.

The situation almost led to military action as Qatar began deploying troops on the island to confront Bahraini forces, but the international community quickly intervened.

In 2001, the International Court of Justice in The Hague gave each country control of equal parts of the disputed territories, but tensions between the two countries remain high.

Bahrain’s announcement that three of its boats had been illegally seized by Qatar came as Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir said the solution to the row between Qatar and the quartet of Arab countries lay in Doha’s hands.

Saudi Arabia is one of the four countries boycotting Qatar, along with the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.

Speaking after a meeting with UN secretary general Antonio Guterres at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Al Jubeir reiterated that the row began because of Qatar’s failure to stop supporting terrorism and ongoing interference in the internal affairs of other countries in the region.

Mr Al Jubeir also attended a meeting of foreign ministers from the quartet in New York on Monday, where the Qatar crisis was discussed.

The quartet, which cut off relations with Qatar on June 5, has insisted on its desire for dialogue with Qatar. But despite mediation attempts, which have involved dozens of leaders, little progress has been made towards a resolution.

Among the economic pressures on Qatar, the boycott has led to an increase in foreign withdrawals from domestic banks. In response, the authorities increased support of domestic banks for the third month in a row in August, Bloomberg reported.

Public sector deposits grew by 10.5 per cent to 295 billion riyals (Dh294bn) from 267bn riyals in July, according to central bank data.

That brings the increase to about 53 billion riyals since the crisis started.

Tensions between the neighbours go back to the 1980s, when Bahrain and Qatar fell out over island possessions