UAE FM: Qatar’s diplomacy campaign does not serve to fix heart of the problem

UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash on late Wednesday reaffirmed his stand saying that the main problem with Qatar’s ongoing round of diplomacy and media campaign was that it did not serve to remedy the heart of the problem, which was Doha’s support to terrorism.

He repeated that Qatar funneling money and its support to terrorist groups was the issue.

The UAE severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and other countries, accusing the gas-rich Gulf nation of supporting terrorism and extremism.

In the latest diplomatic push to ease tensions, French President Emmanuel Macron was in Morocco Wednesday on a 24-hour visit for talks on battling terrorism as well as the Libyan conflict and Qatar’s dispute with its Gulf neighbors.

“The king of Morocco has met with several of those involved, myself I have met all the leaders from the region,” Macron said, adding that he would meet a senior leader from the UAE in Paris next week.

The French presidency earlier indicated Macron would meet separately with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and the crown prince of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan, but later said “nothing was confirmed”.

The EU foreign ministers will also hold a meeting on Monday to discuss tensions between major Arab states and Qatar, Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent reported on Thursday.