WASHINGTON: Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir yesterday said his country was ready to provide food and medical aid to Qatar if needed.
He defended the Arab powers’ move as a boycott not a blockade, saying his government was exercising its “sovereign right”, Sky News Arabia reported.
The minister, in Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson – who called last week for the embargo to be “eased” – insisted the move was reasonable.
Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism in the region.
Al Jubeir said the closure of the border had been eased to allow divided families to be reunited, and that Saudi Arabia would send food or medical aid if needed. “There is no blockade of Qatar. Qatar is free to go. The ports are open, the airports are open,” he said, appearing alongside a silent Tillerson.
“What we have done is we have denied them use of our airspace, and this is our sovereign right.
“The limitation on the use of Saudi airspace is only limited to Qatari airways or Qatari-owned aircraft, not anybody else. They just cannot use our territorial waters.”
Meanwhile, Bahrain has added 71 Qatar-linked individuals and entities serving suspicious agenda to its terror list. The Cabinet has endorsed the list and instructed competent authorities to take necessary legal measures. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt had issued a joint statement naming 59 individuals and 12 terrorist entities aided and abetted by Qatar.