Manama: Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa yesterday described the rift with Qatar as being too deep to heal.
“The dispute has reached an unprecedented point in relations between the GCC member countries,” he said.
He stressed the need to establish a new system and place Qatar under the spotlight, saying the dispute will not be settled “by kissing noses”.
“Qatar has burnt all its boats in the dispute to make a comeback to the GCC,” the minister said, ahead of the 39th GCC Summit to be held in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Shaikh Khalid said Qatar was the least committed member country to the GCC agreements, urging the Doha regime to reform itself.
He pointed out that the stance and the conditions set by the Arab Quartet boycotting Qatar remain unchanged.
The minister said that strategic military co-operation between member countries will be on the agenda during the one-day summit.
Asked about the level of the Qatari delegation which will attend the summit, he described the issue as a “matter of no importance” whatsoever.
“It does not make any different whoever is in the Qatari summit at the seat,” he said adding that the Doha escalation and policies have made any prospect of solution even more difficult.
The Foreign Minister said that Doha deployed foreign troops on its territories to threaten the GCC countries, although it is a member of the Peninsula Shield.
He accused Qatar of pursuing its hostile policies against the GCC countries, citing the campaign against Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
“I don’t know how Qatar will make a comeback, having steered far away from the GCC and allied with regional enemies such as Iran.”
He described as untrue rumours of a visit to Manama by Israeli officials.
“There are no plans for a visit by the Israeli Prime Minister to Bahrain,” he said, adding that no contacts were made in this regard.
“Nothing happened and we will not hesitate to announce any development in this regard.”
He confirmed that an Israeli official did visit Bahrain as part of the Madrid Conference peace paradigm.
Shaikh Khalid revealed that an Israeli minister attended a conference which was held in Bahrain. The minister condemned Tehran’s destructive role in the region, which has pushed the GCC states to defend their security and stability.
He underlined Bahrain’s role in laying bare Iranian designs and plots – something that has also been acknowledged by the US. “Bahrain was one of goals on the Iranian agenda in targeting the region.”
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