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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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?????????????????????????????????????????????????Friday, June 9, 2017
'We are not ready to surrender,' Qatar's foreign minister says
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that Qatar had never experienced
this type of hostility, even from an enemy country
Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani gestures as he speaks to reporters in Doha (Reuters)
Thursday 8 June 2017
A dispute between Qatar and some Arab states is threatening the
stability of the entire region, Qatar's foreign minister said on
Thursday, adding diplomacy was still Doha's preferred option and there
would never be a military solution to the problem.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told reporters that Qatar had
never experienced this type of hostility, even from an enemy country. He
said there had been no change to Qatar's military deployment and no
troops had been moved.
"We are not ready to surrender, and will never be ready to surrender, the independence of our foreign policy," al-Thani said.
People look at pigeons at Souq Waqif market in Doha (Reuters)
"We have been isolated because we are successful and progressive. We are
a platform for peace not terrorism ... This dispute is threatening the
stability of the entire region," he added.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt,
the United Arab Emirates and several other countries severed relations
with Doha on Monday, accusing it of supporting "Islamist militants" and
their arch-foe Iran - charges Qatar says are baseless.
Qatar’s
King Hamad of Bahrain met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in
Cairo on Thursday. In a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency,
they gave no sign they were ready to compromise with Doha.
"The
leaders agreed the decision came after Qatar insisted on taking a path
that is harmful to Arab states and after attempts to prevent it from
supporting terrorist groups," the statement said.
"Qatar
insisted on interfering in the domestic affairs of Egypt, Bahrain, and
other Arab countries in a way that threatens their safety and security
and harms Arab national security and unity."
Earlier on Thursday, Bahrain's foreign minister reiterated a demand that
Doha distance itself from Iran and stop support for "terrorist
organisations".
Iranian cargo plane delivers food
Meanwhile, Iran confirmed on Thursday that it was sending its first
cargo plane carrying food supplies to Qatar, according to the Iranian-backed Press TV.
And the Emirates Post Group said that it had stopped all types of postal
services to Qatar despite the UAE's continued diplomatic relations with
Iran.
In an interview published by Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat newspaper,
Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said conditions posed by the four
countries for a resolution of the crisis were "crystal clear".
"Qatar has to redress its path and has to go back to all previous
commitments, it has to stop media campaigns and has to distance itself
from our number one enemy, Iran," he said.
"It has to realise its interests are with us, not with another country
that conspires against us, wants to dominate and divide us. It has to
stop supporting terrorist organisations, Sunni or Shia, and its policy
has to be for the benefit of its people."
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa hold hands in Jeddah (Reuters)
In an earlier interview with the Saudi newspaper Makkah on Wednesday,
Bahrain's Sheikh Khalid said he appreciated Kuwaiti mediation to resolve
the dispute but that all options were open for his country to protect
itself from Doha.
In some of the strongest comments related to those efforts by a senior
Gulf Arab official, Sheikh Khalid told the newspaper he doubted whether
Qatar would change its behaviour.
On Thursday, Bahrain's information ministry warned local media from
posting any statements in support of Qatar, according to the state news
agency.
Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, travelled from
the UAE to Qatar on Wednesday after visiting Saudi Arabia the day before
to try to resolve the crisis.
Turkey approves Qatari troop deployment
Turkey's
parliament on Wednesday approved a draft bill allowing its troops to be
deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar, an apparent move to
support the Gulf Arab country when it faces diplomatic and trade
isolation.
Ankara's move comes a day after US President Donald Trump sided with Saudi Arabia in its rift with Qatar and accused Doha of "funding extremism".
Trump
is continuing to talk to with all partners in the Middle East to
de-escalate tensions, a White House spokeswoman said on Thursday, but
gave no other details.
The US president spoke with the emir of Qatar on Wednesday and offered help in resolving the crisis, the White House said.
"The president emphasised the importance of all countries in the region
working together to prevent the financing of terrorist organisations and
stop the promotion of extremist ideology" in his call with the emir,
the White House said.
Trump offered to help resolve the diplomatic crisis, including through a White House meeting, the statement said.
The
US president also spoke by telephone on Wednesday with Abu Dhabi's
crown prince and stressed the importance of unity among Gulf Arab
states, the White House said.
Trump
"emphasized the importance of maintaining a united Gulf Cooperation
Council to promote regional stability, but never at the expense of
eliminating funding for radical extremism or defeating terrorism,"
during a call with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Abu Dhabi's
crown prince, the White House said in a statement.
Russian hackers?
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis called Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday, a day after he spoke to his Qatari counterpart via phone and praised Qatar’s "enduring commitment to regional security".
The growing Gulf crisis has also pulled the Kremlin and the White House
into its orbit, as Moscow dismissed allegations that Russian hackers
helped spark tension between Qatar and its former allies.
US officials believe Russian hackers were
responsible for the false news story on the state-owned Qatar News
Agency two weeks ago that precipitated the conflict, CNN reported on
Tuesday.
Andrei Krutskikh, a Kremlin adviser on cybersecurity, told the Interfax
news agency: "We're getting tired of reacting to unsubstantiated
banalities."
"Whatever happens, it is hackers. It's a stale claim and as ever there
is zero evidence, and conclusions are drawn before the incident is even
investigated."
Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, told
CNN on Tuesday that the hacking of Qatar's national news agency was
"proved by the FBI".
The US Federal Bureau of Investigations had sent a team to the capital
Doha to assist Qatari authorities in finding out what happened.