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Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • Qatar: Arab countries extend deadline by 48 hours

    Qatar: Arab countries extend deadline by 48 hours

    Four Arab countries have agreed to give Qatar 48 more hours, in a deadline extension proposed by Kuwait, for the Gulf emirate to comply with a list of demands, local media reported early Monday.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt agreed to extend the deadline after Kuwait’s government urged them to do so late Sunday, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

    Earlier, as the original deadline expired, Saudi-owned television Al Arabiya reported that Qatar could be hit by further sanctions from the countries that have cut ties with the Gulf emirate over its alleged support for terrorism.

    Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt were “studying” a list of potential political and economic sanctions against Qatar after it rejected the list of demands, Al Arabiya said.

    The Dubai-based broadcaster said that one possible punishment would be suspending Qatar from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a U.S.-allied bloc.

    The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.

    Potential trade penalties against Qatar could be extended to include countries and companies dealing with the energy-rich emirate, Al Arabiya added without elaborating.

    The foreign ministers of Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss “future steps” in dealing with Qatar, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said late Sunday.

    On Friday, Qatar disclosed a list of 13 demands issued by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.

    The demands were conveyed by Kuwait which is acting as a mediator in an attempt to defuse the ongoing dispute.

    The demands include downgrading ties with Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia; stopping support for Islamist groups, and shutting down the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera and its channels.

    Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Thani is due to deliver his country’s official reply on the demands to Kuwait’s Emir Sabah Al Ahmed on Monday, according to Al Arabiya.

    There was no immediate confirmation from either Qatar or Kuwait.

    Mohammed had earlier said the demands violated his country’s sovereignty but called for dialogue.

    Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who initially claimed credit for sparking the rift between the Gulf nations, spoke separately with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Al-Saud, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed Al-Nahyan.

    The president “underscored that unity in the region is critical … to defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability,” the White House said in a statement.

    “President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism,” it continued.

    In June, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha denies.

    Later, the four countries placed on terrorism lists 59 figures and 12 groups with alleged links to Qatar.

    Doha has called the boycott a “siege” and “collective punishment.”

    In 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar, accusing it of breaching a regional security pact.

    That dispute was resolved through Kuwait’s mediation.

  • Demand for Qatar to close down al-Jazeera ‘unacceptable’ – UN

    Demand for Qatar to close down al-Jazeera ‘unacceptable’ – UN

    The UN says the demand by Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations for Qatar to close down its al-Jazeera TV channel is an “unacceptable attack” on the right to freedoms of expression and opinion.

    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a boycott on Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing militants, then issued an ultimatum, including demands it shut down a Turkish military base in Doha, shutting Al Jazeera and curbing ties with Iran.

    UN High Commissioner is “extremely concerned by the demand that Qatar close down the Al Jazeera network, as well as other affiliated media outlets”, his spokesman Rupert Colville told a news briefing.

    Al Jazeera

    “Whether or not you watch it, like it, or agree with its editorial standpoints, Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English channels are legitimate, and have many millions of viewers.

    “The demand that they be summarily closed down is, in our view, an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion,” Colville said.

    NAN reports that on June 24, the four Arab states handed the country a list of 13 demands, including some likely to infuriate Doha and exacerbate the region’s worst crisis in decades.

    Some of the key demands include shut down the Al Jazeera media network and its affiliates, halt the development of a Turkish military base in the country and reduce diplomatic ties with Iran.

    Others are cut ties to extremist organisations, stop interfering in the four countries’ affairs, stop the practice of giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries.

  • Saudi official denies former crown prince confined to palace

    Saudi official denies former crown prince confined to palace

    A senior Saudi Arabian official on Thursday denied as “baseless’’ a New York Times report that Prince Mohammed bin Nayef has been confined to his palace and barred from traveling abroad after being replaced by the king’s son as next in line to the throne.

    The official said that Nayef, a veteran Interior Minister, had continued to host guests and there was no restrictions at all on his or his family’s movements.

    Nayef, who was admired in Washington for quashing an al Qaeda insurgency in the kingdom between 2003 and 2006, was relieved of all his duties a week ago.

    In his place as Crown Prince, King Salman appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman, who also serves as defence minister and leads an ambitious reform agenda to end Saudi Arabia’s over-reliance on oil.

    Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion ended two years of speculation about a behind-the-scenes rivalry near the pinnacle of royal power, but analysts said he still has to win over powerful relatives, clerics and tribesmen.

    The New York Times, citing four current and former American officials and Saudis close to the royal family, said Nayef has been “barred from leaving the kingdom and confined to his palace” in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

    But the senior Saudi official expressed shock at the report, which he described as a “fabricated story” and suggested that Nayef may seek legal action against the newspaper.

    “What was published by the New York Times is untrue, completely false, and baseless,” the official said, responding to a question on the New York Times report.

    “His Royal Highness, Nayef and his family is moving freely and hosting his guests unrestrictedly.

    Nothing has changed for the Prince, except for stepping down from his government positions,” the official said.

    “He hosts guests and leaves his house on a daily basis since he has stepped down.

    “Further, there are no restrictions on his movement whatsoever, either in or outside of Saudi Arabia.’’

    Although Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion to crown prince had long been expected among those who follow the royal family closely, the timing was a surprise, and puts the kingdom’s future in relatively untested hands.

    The promotion proceeded smoothly, with royal family members, senior officials and clerics participating in a traditional ceremony held in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in
    which they pledged allegiance to the new crown prince.

    Saudi state media, eager to show the change was going smoothly, repeatedly broadcast footage of the young Mohammed bin Salman kissing the hand of Nayef, as his older cousin offered him congratulations.

    The Saudi official said Nayef was “entitled to bring legal action against the newspaper and anyone who defames his reputation by publishing such false news about him.’’

  • 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.

  • Saudi Arabia arrests woman, four others over aborted attack on Grand Mosque

    Saudi Arabia arrests woman, four others over aborted attack on Grand Mosque

    The Saudi authorities have arrested five persons, including a woman, in connection with the Friday alleged attempt by terrorists to attack the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holiest Islamic site in the world.

    All of them are Saudi nationals and are currently being questioned.

    Three terrorist cells were reportedly involved in the plot and were going to attack worshipers who had gathered at the mosque to celebrate the end of the Ramadan fasting.

    Investigators believe the attack was plotted from abroad.

    The Saudi Interior Ministry said it received information about the terror attack months ago and had been closely watching the suspects since then, Saudi Ajel news portal reported.

    An alleged terrorist involved in the plot opened fire on security forces as they surrounded a house he was reportedly hiding in close to the mosque.

    He later blew himself up.

    Since July last year police have arrested around 40 people, including Saudis and Pakistanis, for alleged extremist links.

    Saudi Arabia’s counter-terrorism capabilities – which for years were led by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef – are well-regarded internationally.

    On Wednesday, Prince Mohammed was ousted from his posts of crown prince and interior minister, and replaced as heir to the throne by King Salman’s son Mohammed bin Salman.

    Friday’s counter-terrorist operation was the first to take place under the new interior minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef, who is in his early 30s.

    Prince Abdulaziz is the nephew of the deposed minister.

    The Grand Mosque has been the target of militants before. In 1979, a group seized the mosque, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that Muslims pray toward five times a day, for two weeks as they demanded the royal family abdicate the throne.

    The official toll of the assault and subsequent fighting to retake the mosque from hundreds of armed militants was over 100 people killed and 500 wounded.

    Britain, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, the Arab League and Lebanon’s Hezbollah condemned the foiled attack.

    The British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson called the foiled attack evil.

    Terrorism, according to him, “respects no country and no religion,” before adding: “we all stand together in confronting it and together we will prevail.”

    Lebanon’s Hezbollah denounced it as a “sinful crime,” stressing that the attack was part of a series of crimes perpetrated by terrorists across the Arab and Muslim world.

  • Saudi Arabia foils terror attack on Mecca’s Grand Mosque

    An alleged attempt by terrorists  to attack the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site in Islam,  has been foiled, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced late last night.

    Al Arabiya,quoting the ministry’s spokeman, Mansour al-Turki,said two separate attacks were planned in Mecca and a third in Jeddah.

    A suicide bomber, who was hiding in a house in a Mecca neighborhood, opened fire on security forces and later blew himself up as authorities closed in, according to the Saudi-owned pan-Arab TV news channel.

    Al Arabiya said five others were arrested, including one woman. Six people were injured along with five members of the security forces.

    The foiled attack  was targeted at  the massive, 70-acre compound as hundreds of thousands of worshippers jammed the site on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

    In 1979, some 500 fundamentalists Muslims armed with machine guns hidden under their robe seized the mosque for two weeks.

    The attackers were however  overpowered by French commandos summoned by Saudi authorities. The commandos,  according to news accounts, had to be briefly converted to Islam to allow them to enter the holy city.

    In addition to more than 80 gunmen killed in the attack, more than 60 others were beheaded by sword in eight Saudi cities after the mosque was retaken.

    Although Saudi authorities  regained control, the country’s leaders, shaken by the uprising, shifted course and began enforcing a stricter form of Islam in an attempt to counter the rise of fundamentalists. Among other steps, the authorities shut down movie theaters in a gesture to proponents of a stricter brand of Islam.

  • 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.

  • Saudi Arabia’s King Salman makes son his successor

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman makes son his successor

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman made his son his successor on Wednesday, removing his nephew as crown prince.

    By this, King Salman has given the 31-year old almost unprecedented powers as the world’s leading oil exporter implements transformational reforms.

    A royal decree appointed Mohammed bin Salman crown prince and deputy prime minister.

    He retains defence, oil and other portfolios.

    It said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a counter-terrorism chief admired in Washington for putting down an al Qaeda campaign of bombings in 2003-06, was relieved of all positions.

    Although Mohammed bin Salman’s promotion was expected among close circles it came as a surprise at a time the kingdom is facing heightened tensions with Qatar and Iran and is locked in a war in Yemen.

    The royal decree said the decision by King Salman to promote his son and consolidate his power was endorsed by 31 out of 34 members of the Allegiance Council, made up of senior members of the ruling Al Saud family.

    Always intent on dispelling speculation of internal divisions in the Al Saud ruling dynasty, Saudi television was quick to show that the change in succession was amicable and supported by the family.

    Throughout the early morning it aired footage of Mohammed bin Nayef pledging allegiance to the younger Mohammed bin Salman who knelt and kissed his older cousin’s hand.

    “I am content,” Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said. Prince Mohammed bin Salman replied: “We will not give up taking your guidance and advice.”

    Analysts said the change ends uncertainty over succession and empowers Prince Mohammed bin Salman to move faster with his plan to reduce the kingdom’s dependence on oil, which includes the partial privatisation of state oil company Aramco.

    “The change is a huge boost to the economic reform program…Prince Mohammed bin Salman is its architect,” said John Sfakianakis, director of the Riyadh-based Gulf Research Center.

    Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton, said the king’s decision was aimed at avoiding a power struggle between his son and Mohammed bin Nayef by setting the line of succession clearly.

    “It’s clearly a transition that has happened smoothly and bloodlessly. Now it’s clear, it’s straightforward. That kind of clarity lowers the risk, there’s no question as to who’s going to be in charge.”

    “Some people were predicting that this would lead to a division in the family and strife and some kind of revolt. I don’t see that happening.”

    A senior Saudi official said the decision was taken due to what he called special circumstances presented to the members of the Allegiance Council.

    He added that Mohammed bin Nayef supported the decision in a letter sent to the king.

    The royal decree did not nominate a new deputy crown prince. The position is relatively new in Saudi Arabia where a king has traditionally chosen his own successor.

    As deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman has been responsible for running Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, dictating an energy policy with global implications and spearheading plans for the kingdom to build an economic future after oil.

    That the royal succession in the world’s top oil exporter is closely scrutinized only makes the rapidity of Mohammed bin Salman’s rise to power, and the speed with which his better known cousins were brushed aside, more astonishing.

    The announcement follows two and a half years of already major changes in Saudi Arabia, which stunned allies in 2015 by launching an air war in Yemen, cutting back on lavish subsidies and proposing in 2016 the partial privatisation of state oil company Aramco.

    Financial analysts said Prince Mohammed’s promotion gave further assurance that key parts of radical reforms to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil would continue.

    “We do not expect to see any major changes to key areas of policy, including economic,” said Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

    In 2016 Mohammed bin Salman, or “MBS” as he is widely known, announced sweeping changes aimed at ending the kingdom’s reliance to oil, part of his campaign to tackle systemic challenges that the kingdom has previously failed to address.