Qatar recalls ambassador to Egypt over Libya

Qatar has recalled its ambassador in Cairo “for consultations” amid disputes over Egyptian air strikes in Libya, Al Arabiya News Channel reported Thursday.

Qatar said the ambassador’s recall came after remarks by the Egyptian envoy to the Arab League.

Egyptian media had quoted Egypt’s delegate to the Arab League Tareq Adel as criticizing Qatar for expressing reservations over the Egyptian air strikes in Libya and accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and deviating from Arab consensus.

Meanwhile, the director of the Arab affairs department at the Qatari foreign ministry said Doha had expressed reservation at an Arab League meeting in Cairo over Egypt’s unilateral decision to carry out air raids in Libya without consultations with other Arab states.

Egyptian jets bombed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets in Libya on Monday, a day after the group there released a video apparently showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians, drawing Cairo directly into the conflict across its border.

(With Reuters)