Riyadh: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE last night expressed disappointment at Qatar’s lack of seriousness in ending its dispute with the Arab Quartet.
Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said this was clear in the way Qatar approached its participation in the 40th GCC Summit with the absence of its Amir and the participation of an official who lacked authority or instructions to try to end the dispute.
The minister added that the statement released by Qatar’s Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, indicating that the dialogue with Saudi Arabia surpasses the demands that the four countries placed on Qatar to end the dispute and is taking a forward looking approach, does not reflect the issues discussed during the summit in any way, shape, or form.
He stressed that “our countries fully adhere to their firm positions and legitimate demands based on the six principles issued by the Cairo meeting on the fifth of July, 2017, which provides for committing to combating extremism and terrorism, to stopping all acts of incitement and discourse of incitement to hatred or violence, to full adherence to the Riyadh Agreement of 2013 and the supplementary agreement of 2014, as well as commitment to all the outcomes of the Arab-Islamic American Summit that was held in Riyadh in May 2017, and to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries, supporting outlaw entities, while affirming the responsibility of all countries of the international community in confronting all forms of extremism and terrorism as a threat to international peace and security.”
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash said that the Qatari crisis continued.
The absence of the Amir of Qatar from the Summit reflected poor judgement on the part of his advisers.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir said the Qatari regime must change its policies and take more positive steps especially in respect to stopping its support for terrorism.
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