Amiri mediation praised

MANAMA, July 30, (Agencies): The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on Sunday lauded the role of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to resolve the crisis with Qatar within an Arab framework.

They said in a statement issued at the conclusion of their meeting in Manama that they are ready for dialogue with Qatar if the latter complied with previously announced demands.

The Bahraini foreign minister said in a joint press conference with his Saudi, UAE and Egyptian counterparts

that the Manama meeting is part of recent Cairo consultations.

Four Arab states that cut ties with Qatar met Sunday to discuss the diplomatic crisis, insisting on compliance with a list of sweeping demands while refraining for now from imposing more punitive measures against the Gulf state.

It was the second meeting for the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain since the countries cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar on June 5.

The quartet accuses Qatar of supporting extremists and interfering in the affairs of other Arab states. Qatar denies the charges and sees them as politically motivated.

After their meeting in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, the four foreign ministers held a joint press conference, saying the bloc will continue to keep current measures against Qatar in place, but are open to dialogue with the Gulf state if it shows a willingness to change course and complies with their demands.

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister read a statement by the ministers that said the bloc was still insistent that Qatar comply with a list of 13 demands the countries had previously issued.

“The four countries are ready for dialogue with Qatar on condition it announces its sincere desire to stop supporting and funding terrorism... and implements the 13 demands that ensure peace and stability in the region and world,” said Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa.

The list includes demands that Qatar stop terrorism financing, but also that it shut down its flagship Al Jazeera news network, which the quartet say has been used by Qatar to promote its policies. Other demands include closing a Turkish military base in Qatar, limiting ties with Iran, expelling Islamist political opposition figures and paying restitution for victims of terrorism allegedly linked to Qatar.

Qatar rejects the list as an affront to its sovereignty, but has vowed to combat terrorism financing and in recent weeks issued a decree revising the country’s counterterrorism laws.

At issue is Qatar’s support for opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt deem a threat to their ruling systems and have labeled a terrorist organization.

The four ministers had met previously in Cairo in early July to discuss Qatar’s response to the list, which was not made public but which they described at the time as “negative”. In the weeks since that meeting, the bloc appears to have reined back some of those demands, urging Qatar to commit to six principles on combatting extremism and terrorism and to negotiate a plan with specific measures to implement.

The dispute has prompted a flurry of

international visits and meetings to try and resolve the crisis.

The Gulf states are key US allies. Qatar hosts al-Udeid Air Base, the hub for US-led operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, while American surveillance planes and other aircraft fly from the UAE.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister called Qatar’s demands for an internationalization of the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage a declaration of war against the kingdom, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said on Sunday, although it was unclear whether Qatar had actually made any such demand.

“Qatar’s demands to internationalize the holy sites is aggressive and a declaration of war against the kingdom,” Adel al-Jubeir was quoted saying on Al Arabiya’s website.

“We reserve the right to respond to anyone who is working on the internationalization of the holy sites,” he said.

However, it was unclear whether Qatar made the demand. It did accuse the Saudis of politicizing Hajj and addressed the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion on Saturday, expressing concern about obstacles facing Qataris who want to attend Hajj this year.

No one from the Qatari government was immediately available for comment.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain have previously issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, which include curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its relations with Gulf enemy Iran.

On Sunday, foreign ministers of the four countries said they were ready for dialogue with Qatar if it showed willingness to tackle their demands.

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa AlKhalifa called on Saturday for solidarity among all nations to counter terrorism and terror financing with the objective of uprooting it. King Hamad made the remarks during a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nahyan, Saudi Arabia’s Adel Al-Jubeir and Egypt’s Sameh Shukry. The Monarch and the top diplomats, accompanied by Bahrain’s foreign minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Khalifa, discussed regional developments, the official BNA news agency said in a statement. He commended coordination with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt in countering terrorism and thus boosting security and peace in the region. “The four countries have offered lots of martyrs in their battles against terrorism, as well as in defending their nations and peoples. “Our countries will always preserve the GCC march against any practices that might undermine our people or achievements ...,” he said. King Hamad also called for aborting all plots threatening “our unity and our national security.” The foreign ministers will be meeting in Manama tomorrow, and they hoped their meeting would be fruitful.

encrypted messages sent by Telegram, he said.

“CDNs only get encrypted data and they never have the keys,” he wrote. “Even if they are accessed by hackers or third parties, the attacker won’t be able to decipher the files.”

Telegram allows users to send text messages, pictures and video over the internet. The service touts itself as being highly encrypted and allows users to set their messages to “self-destruct” after a certain period, making it a famained

vorite among activists and others concerned about their privacy.

Iran has informed foreign-based social networks that they must move their servers into the country if they want to continue operations in the country.

Iran blocks social media websites like Facebook and Twitter and censors other websites. While top officials have unfettered access to social media, Iran’s youth and tech-savvy citizens use proxy servers or other workarounds to bypass the controls.