Saudi FM: Gulf rift hinges on Qatari policies
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE had recalled their envoys to Qatar, saying the move was taken 'to protect their stability'
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the political crisis with Qatar is unlikely to be solved "as long as Doha does not revise its policy," the Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper cited him as saying on Tuesday.
In an unprecedented move within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on March 5, accusing Doha of failing to abide by an accord not to interfere in each others' internal affairs.
The three GCC states are angry at Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement whose ideology challenges the principle of conservative dynastic rule long dominant in the Gulf.
"If Qatar’s policy, which sparked the crisis, is amended, then there will be a breakthrough," he told the newspaper.
The minister also said that it is unlikely that Western mediation will play a hand in settling the dispute with Doha.
"There is no American mediation to resolve the Gulf crisis," he said.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE had recalled their envoys, saying the move was taken "to protect their security and stability."
The trio also said that Qatar had not “committed to the principles” of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, and said "Qatar has to take the appropriate steps to ensure the security of the GCC states."
Al-Hayat quoted sources as telling the newspaper last week that a number of Saudi officials did not attend bilateral meetings in Doha with their Qatari counterparts.
By not attending the meetings, scheduled to be held in the past two weeks, indications of a deepening crisis between Qatar and the Gulf trio have emerged.
-
Jordan seen unlikely to withdraw envoy from Qatar
Amman is also unlikely to label the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, as Riyadh has done Analysis -
Spurning Gulf Arab pressure, Qatar says foreign policy ‘non-negotiable’
Saudi Arabia and the UAE see Qatar as at odds with them on Gulf issues Analysis -
Saudis banned from Harrods? Pakistan paper falls for it
Established Pakistan newspaper quotes satirical website’s joke that Gulf nationals have been barred from Qatar-owned London store Print -
UAE commentators quit Qatar’s beIN Sports amid Gulf security row
Faris Awad and Ali Saeed al-Kaabi did not give reason for sudden departure from channel formerly known as Al Jazeera Sports Television & Radio -
Qatar’s ‘Small State Syndrome’
Doha is in fact still ruled by the old guard and Sheikh Tamim doesn’t intend to introduce any changes to his country’s controversial foreign policy Middle East -
After Qatar dispute, can we salvage a fragmented GCC?
The Saudi, Emirati, and Bahraini decision to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar doesn’t come as a surprise Middle East -
Frustration with Qatar adds to GCC security dispute
The withdrawal of Gulf ambassadors from Doha could pose a grave challenge to the leadership of the Qatari emir Analysis