Isolated Qatar won’t change its foreign policy

DOHA: Qatar has vowed to ride out the isolation imposed on it by fellow Arab states over its alleged support for terrorism and said it would not compromise its sovereignty over foreign policy.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with the small Gulf Arab state on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their archadversary Iran, charges Qatar calls baseless. Several other countries followed suit.

Yesterday, the four countries designated dozens of people with alleged links to Qatar as terrorists, intensifying the row.

They said 59 people, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef alQaradawi, and 12 entities, among them Qatarifunded charities, had been named.

Wouldbe mediators, including US President Donald Trump and Kuwait’s ruling emir, have struggled to ease a crisis that Qataris say has led to a blockade of their nation.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman alThani said Qatar had not yet been presented with a list of demands by countries that cut off diplomatic and transport ties, but insisted the matter be solved peacefully.

‘‘We have been isolated because we are successful and progressive. We are a platform for peace,’’ he told reporters in a defiant tone.

‘‘We are not ready to surrender, and will never be ready to surrender, the independence of our foreign policy.’’

With supply chains disrupted and anxiety mounting about deepening economic turbulence, banks and firms in Gulf Arab states were trying to keep business links to Qatar open and avoid a costly fire sale of assets.

‘‘We’re not worried about a food shortage. We’re fine. We can live forever like this; we are well prepared,’’ Sheikh Mohammed said, adding Iran was ready to help with food supplies.

Turkey has meanwhile brought forward a planned troop deployment to Qatar and pledged to provide food and water supplies to its Arab ally, which hosts a Turkish military base.

Qatar has backed Islamist movements but strongly denies supporting terrorism. It provides a haven to antiWestern groups such as the Afghan Taliban, Palestinian Hamas and Algeria’s Islamic Salvation Front, but says it does not accept its neighbours’ view that any group with an Islamist background is terrorist.

UAE ambassador to Russia Omar Saif Ghobash said Qatar had to choose between supporting extremism or supporting its neighbours.

‘‘Qatar needs to decide: Do you want to be in the pocket of Turkey, Iran and Islamic extremists? They need to make a decision; they can’t have it both ways,’’ he said.

Saudi newspaper al Watan published what it called a list of eight ‘‘extremist organisations’’ seen as working to destabilise the region from Qatar, including Al Jazeera news channel, which is funded by the Qatari Government. .

Al Jazeera’s acting directorgeneral, Mostefa Souag, dismissed accusations its reportage was proIslamist and amounted to meddling in the affairs of other Arab states. ‘‘We don’t interfere in anybody’s business, we just report,’’ he said. — Reuters