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Tag: Qatar

  • Qatar demands difficult to meet – U.S.

    Qatar demands difficult to meet – U.S.

    The U.S. says some of the demands by four Arab countries as conditions to lift the sanctions over Qatar would be difficult for Doha to meet.

    The U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, in a statement on Sunday recommended that the countries sit together and find an amicable compromise to the crisis.

    Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate had accused Qatar of backing terrorism, a charge it denied.

    Tillerson said: “Qatar has begun its careful review and consideration of a series of requests presented by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

    “While some of the elements will be very difficult for Qatar to meet, there are significant areas which provide a basis for on-going dialogue leading to resolution.”

    According to him, a productive next step would be for each of the countries to sit together and continue this conversation.

    “We believe our allies and partners are stronger when they are working together towards one goal which we all agree is stopping terrorism and countering extremism.

    “Each country involved has something to contribute to that effort. A lowering of rhetoric would also help ease the tension.

    “The United States will continue to stay in close contact with all parties and will continue to support the mediation efforts of the Emir of Kuwait,” Tillerson said.

    On Saturday, Qatar’s foreign minister rejected the list of 13 conditions imposed by the four countries.

    The conditions have put Qatar under unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions for more than two weeks.

    The four countries also want Qatar to reduce its ties with Iran and close a Turkish military base, setting a deadline on Friday of 10 days.

  • Qatar rejects list of demands from Saudi Arabia

    Qatar rejects list of demands from Saudi Arabia

    •Says it ‘neither reasonable nor actionable’

    Qatar has rejected a list of demands submitted by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, calling it “neither reasonable nor actionable”, Al Jazeera reported yesterday.

    The list was received by Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs on June 22, Al Jazeera said quoting the state-run Qatar News Agency.

    “This list of demands confirms what Qatar has said from the beginning – the illegal blockade has nothing to do with combating terrorism, it is about limiting Qatar’s sovereignty, and outsourcing our foreign policy,” said Sheikh Saif al-Thani, the director of Qatar’s government communications office, in a statement to Reuters. He added that the list provided did not satisfy the criteria set by the United States and Britain, who had asked for demands that would be realistic.

    Qatar also said it is reviewing the demands and is preparing an official response to them. Qatar will hand over its response to Kuwait, which is mediating the crisis, the Qatar News Agency said, citing a statement by the ministry of foreign affairs.

    Qatar’s ambassador to the US, Meshal bin Hamad Al Thani, also criticised the list of demands, calling it an attempt to “suppress free media and freedom of speech” and “infringe upon our sovereignty and punish Qatar for its independence”.

    The list presented to Qatar by the Arab countries demanded that it cut ties with Iran, hand over extremists and shut down Al Jazeera. It also demanded compensation and called for an end to Turkey’s military presence in Qatar, among other things.

    On June 5, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt had severed diplomatic relations with Qatar accusing it of backing terrorism. Other countries in the region had followed. US President Donald Trump had supported the action, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis had called for mediation and a quick resolution of the dispute.

  • UAE accuses Qatar of leaking demands, foiling mediation

    UAE accuses Qatar of leaking demands, foiling mediation

    The United Arab Emirates on Friday accused Qatar of derailing mediation efforts by leaking the list of demands sent by his country and the three other Arab states that cut ties with Doha over its alleged support for terrorism.

    Qatar’s emir “must realise that the solution to his crisis is not with Tehran, Beirut or Ankara, or Western capitals and the media, but [a solution] is through the return of confidence in him by his neighbours,” UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, wrote on Twitter.

    “Qatar leaking demands and concerns of its neighbors & Egypt either attempt to undermine serious mediation or yet another sign of callous policy,” wrote Gargash in a string of tweets on his official account.

    He warned that “leakage will further exasperate and prolong the Qatar crisis.”

    Kuwait has handed Qatar a list of demands by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, the Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported earlier Friday.

    Kuwait said the list has not been sanctioned by either Qatar or Kuwait, which has been trying to mediate between the two sides.

    Gargash argued that the “crisis is real” and is being ignited by the “confused” administration of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

    “Sometimes, divorce is better,” Gargash wrote.

    The Qatari emir’s role in providing “funding, a media and political platform” to serve “the agenda of extremism cannot be accepted,” he said.

    Al Jazeera Media Network is owned and funded by the Qatari royal family.

    The network, especially the Arabic-language channel, has repeatedly angered Arab leaders since its establishment in 1996, shaking up a broadcasting world until then dominated by government mouthpieces.

    One of the biggest disputes was in 2002, when Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador to Doha to protest at Al Jazeera’s “negative” coverage of Saudi politics.

    In recent years, critics have argued that it is strongly supportive of Islamists, especially Egypt’s now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.

    Meanwhile, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik attacked the demands presented to Qatar, which reportedly includes shutting down a Turkish military base in the small Gulf country.

    “I have not seen this request formally yet, but it might mean intervention in bilateral relations,” he said, according to private broadcaster NTV.

    “I say that the Turkish base in Qatar is for the training of Qatari soldiers, for the security of Qatar and the region. Nobody should be bothered by this.

    “There is no such consideration to bring this agreement back to the table,” Isik added.

    On June 5, the four countries severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

    Doha has repeatedly denied the accusations.

    The four countries have not made their demands public yet.

    Later in June, several African countries cut relations with Qatar and others downgraded ties.

    On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Arab countries involved in a diplomatic spat with Qatar to present their demands.

    “Our role has been to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table, clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed and some resolution process can get underway to bring this to a conclusion,” he said.

    “Our desire is for unity within the Gulf,” he added.

  • Four Arab states send 13 demands to Qatar

    Four Arab states send 13 demands to Qatar

    Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism on Friday sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, on June 5, cut economic, diplomatic and travel ties to Doha.

    An official of the four Arab countries, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they gave Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes “void”.

    The official who did not elaborate further, suggested that the offer to end the dispute in return for the 13 steps would no longer be on the table.

    The official said that the list which was compiled by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain, also demands the closing of a Turkish military base in Qatar.

    The demands aimed at ending the worst Gulf Arab crisis in years appear designed to quash a two decade-old foreign policy in which Qatar has punched well above its weight, striding the stage as a peace broker, often in conflicts in Muslim lands.

    Doha’s independent-minded approach, including a dovish line on Iran and support for Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, has incensed some of its neighbours who see political Islamism as a threat to their dynastic rule.

    The demands, the official said, was handed to Qatar by mediator Kuwait.

    The official added that the demands also require that Qatar stop interfering in the four countries’ domestic and foreign affairs and stop a practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries,

    He said that Qatar must pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies.

    Any resulting agreement to comply with the demands will be monitored, with monthly reports in the first year, then every three months the next year, then annually for 10 years, the official said without elaborating.

    Turkey’s Defence Minister Fikri Isik rejected the demand, saying any call for the base to be shut would represent interference in Ankara’s relations with Doha.

    He suggested instead that Turkey might bolster its presence.

    Isik said: “strengthening the Turkish base would be a positive step in terms of the Gulf’s security.

    “Re-evaluating the base agreement with Qatar is not on our agenda.”

    The Arab official said that Qatar must also announce it is severing ties with terrorist, ideological and sectarian organisations including the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State and al Qaeda.

    Others, the officials said, are Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham, formerly al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, , and surrender all designated terrorists on its territory.

    The four Arab countries accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, fomenting regional instability and cozying up to revolutionary theocracy Iran.

    Qatar has denied the accusations.

    Qatari officials did not reply immediately to requests for comment.

    On Monday, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they lifted their measures against Doha.

    “The demands are so aggressive that it makes it close to impossible to currently see a resolution of that conflict,” said Olivier Jakob, a strategist at Switzerland-based oil consultancy Petromatrix.

    Several Qataris who spoke to Reuters described the demands as unreasonable. “Imagine another country demanding that CNN be closed,” said 40-year-old Haseeb Mansour, who works for telecom operator Ooredoo.

    Abdullah al-Muhanadi, a retired public sector shopping for groceries in Doha on Friday morning, said the boycott must be lifted before negotiations to resolve the dispute could start.

    “There’s a lot on the list that is simply not true or unreasonable, so how can we comply?” he said.

    “There are no Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps elements in Qatar and the agreement with Turkey is a long- standing diplomatic agreement so we cannot ask them to leave.”

    U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on Qatar, accusing it of being a “high level” sponsor of terrorism, but he has also offered help to the parties in the dispute to resolve their differences.

    Turkey has backed Qatar during the three-week-old crisis.

    It sent its first ship carrying food aid to Qatar and dispatched a small contingent of soldiers and armoured vehicles there on Thursday, while President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Saudi Arabia’s leaders on calming tension in the region.

  • Morocco to send food to Qatar after Gulf states cut ties

    Morocco to send food to Qatar after Gulf states cut ties

    Morocco said it would send plane-loads of food to Qatar to boost supplies there after Gulf Arab states cut diplomatic and economic ties with Doha.

    Qatar, which imported 80 per cent of its food from bigger Gulf Arab neighbours before the diplomatic shutdown, has also been talking to Iran and Turkey to secure food and water.

    “This decision was made in conformity with Islamic precepts that call for solidarity and mutual aid between Muslim people, notably during this holy month of Ramadan,” the Moroccan foreign ministry statement said.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain accused Qatar of supporting militants, an allegation dismissed by Doha.

    On Sunday, Morocco said it would remain neutral in the dispute, offering to mediate between the Gulf countries, which are all close allies to the North African kingdom.

    Qatar’s finance minister said on Monday the world’s richest country per capita has the resources to endure and played down the economic toll of the confrontation.

    NAN reports that Qatari Foreign Minister Abdulrahman al-Thani told a news conference in France that Qatar “still had no clue” why the nations cut ties.

    He denied that Qatar supported groups like the Muslim Brotherhood that its neighbours oppose, or had warm ties with their enemy Iran.

    So far, the measures do not seem to have caused a serious shortages of supplies in shops.

    Some people have even joked about being “blockaded” inside the world’s richest country: a Twitter page called “Doha under siege” pokes fun at the prospect of readying “escape yachts”, stocking up on caviar and trading Rolex watches for espresso.

  • Erdogan approves deployment of Turkish troops to Qatar

    Erdogan approves deployment of Turkish troops to Qatar

    President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday approved legislation on deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar, signaling support for the Gulf state as it faces isolation imposed by fellow Arab states over its alleged support for terrorism.

    Turkey’s parliament pushed through the bill on Wednesday and Erdogan’s rapid approval of it, announced by his office late on Thursday, was followed by its publication in the Official Gazette on Friday, completing the legislative process.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and their arch-adversary Iran – charges Qatar calls baseless. Several countries followed suit.

    Qatar vowed on Thursday to ride out the isolation and said it would not compromise its sovereignty over foreign policy to resolve the region’s biggest diplomatic crisis in years.

    After an initial deployment of Turkish troops at a base in Doha, Turkish warplanes and ships will also be sent, the mass-circulation Hurriyet newspaper said on its website on Friday.

    “The number of Turkish warplanes and Turkish warships going to the base will become clear after the preparation of a report based on an initial assessment at the base,” Hurriyet said.

    A Turkish delegation would go to Qatar in the coming days to assess the situation at the base, where around 90 Turkish soldiers are currently based, it said.

    Turkish officials were not immediately available to comment on the report but Hurriyet said there were plans send some 200 to 250 soldiers within two months in the initial stage.

    Erdogan also approved another accord between Turkey and Qatar on military training cooperation late on Thursday.

    Both bills were drawn up before the dispute erupted.

    Turkey has also pledged to provide food and water supplies to Qatar.

    The president has said isolating Qatar would not resolve any problems.

    Erdogan, who has long tried to play the role of a regional power broker, said Ankara would do everything in its power to help end the regional crisis.

    Turkey has maintained good relations with Qatar as well as several of its Gulf Arab neighbors.

    Turkey and Qatar have both provided support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and backed rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

    The bill did not specify how many troops would go or when.

  • UAE bans expressions of sympathy toward Qatar

    UAE bans expressions of sympathy toward Qatar

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday banned people from publishing expressions of sympathy toward Qatar and will punish offenders with a jail term of up to 15 years.

    The UAE, along with several other powerful Arab states, severed diplomatic ties with fellow Gulf state Qatar on Monday over its alleged support for Islamist groups and Iran. Qatar denies the accusations.

    U.S. President Donald Trump took sides in the deep rift in the Arab world on Tuesday, praising Middle East countries’ actions against Qatar, but later spoke by phone with Saudi King Salman and stressed the need for Gulf unity.

    UAE Attorney-General Hamad Al-Shamsi announced the ban.

    Al-Shamsi said: “strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias toward Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the UAE, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form.”

    On top of a possible jail term, offenders would also be hit with a fine of at least 500,000 dirhams, the newspaper said, citing a statement to Arabic-language media.

    Since the diplomatic row erupted, slogans against and in support of Qatar have been among the top topics discussed on Twitter in Arabic, which is a hugely popular medium of expression in the Arab world, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

    Newspapers and television channels in the region have also been engaged in a war of words over Qatar’s role.

  • Qatar ready for mediation on Gulf conflict

    Qatar ready for mediation on Gulf conflict

    Qatar’s foreign minister Tamim Al-Thani said on Tuesday Doha was ready for mediation efforts after the Arab world’s biggest powers severed ties with it.

    Al-Thani said that Qatar’s ruler had delayed a speech in order to give Kuwait a chance to ease regional tensions.

    Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar in a coordinated move on Monday.

    Yemen, Libya’s eastern-based government and the Maldives joined later and transport links were shut down.

    Al-Thani spoke by telephone overnight with his counterpart in Kuwait, which has maintained diplomatic ties with Qatar, and decided to postpone a speech to the Qatari people as requested.

    Doha also decided not to retaliate against the measures.

    Qatar wants to give Kuwait’s Sabah Al-Jaber the ability to “proceed and communicate with the parties to the crisis and to try to contain the issue,” Al-Thani said in comments to Qatar-based Al Jazeera television.

    Kuwait’s emir had an important role in a previous Gulf rift in 2014 and Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim “regards him as a parent and respects his desire to postpone any speech or step until there is a clearer picture of the crisis,” Al Jazeera quoted the foreign minister as saying.

    Al-Thani told the channel that the measures taken against Qatar had an “unprecedented impact” on its citizens and on family relations in the Gulf Arab region, but said Doha will not take counter measures.

    Qatar “believes such differences between sister countries must be resolved through dialogue.”

  • World Cup: FiFA ´in regular contact´ with Qatar Amid Preparation Concerns

    World Cup: FiFA ´in regular contact´ with Qatar Amid Preparation Concerns

    FIFA says it is “in regular contact” with World Cup 2022 organisers amid concerns preparations for the tournament could be hampered by the growing diplomatic dispute involving Qatar.

    A group of nations including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain announced it will sever ties with Qatar on Monday.

    Through its national press agency, Saudi Arabia issued a statement accusing their neighbours of “harbouring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region”.

    Borders have been closed between the countries and air and sea traffic has been suspended between the peninsular nation and a number of other states. Qatar has branded the decision “unjustified”.

    A statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign affairs read: “Qatar expressed deep regret over the decision of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain to close their borders and airspace and cut off diplomatic relations. Such measures are unjustified and are based on baseless and unfounded allegations.

    “Qatar has been exposed to an instigation campaign based on allegations that amounted to absolute fabrications, which proves that there are premeditated intentions to cause damage to the state.”

    Concerns have been raised that the measures could impact the construction of the venues and infrastructure for the 2022 finals – due to be hosted by Qatar.

    In response to the concerns, a FIFA spokesperson told Omnisport: “FIFA is in regular contact with the Qatar 2022 Local Organising Committee and the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy handling matters relating to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

    “We have no further comments for the time being.”

    A total of eight new venues are being built for the competition in five years’ time.

    New metro and roadway projects are also in place to help to improve transport links in Qatar in time for the tournament.

    Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia club Al-Ahli have announced that they are ending their sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways.

  • Egypt, Saudi Arabia, three others cut links with Qatar

    Egypt, Saudi Arabia, three others cut links with Qatar

    Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

    They claimed Qatar backs militant groups including so-called Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda, which Qatar has denied.

    The Saudi state news agency SPA said Riyadh had closed its borders, severing land, sea and air contact with the tiny peninsula of Qatar.

    Qatar called the decision “unjustified” and with “no basis in fact.”

    The BBC reports that the unprecedented move is being seen as a significant split between powerful Gulf countries, who are also close United States allies.

    It comes in the context of increased tensions between Gulf countries and their near-neighbour Iran.

    The Saudi statement accused Qatar of collaborating with Iranian-backed militias.

    The diplomatic withdrawal was put into motion by Bahrain then Saudi Arabia early on Monday. Their allies swiftly followed.

    SPA cited officials as saying the decision was taken to “protect its national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism.”

    The three Gulf countries have given Qatari nationals two weeks to leave their territory.