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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, July 30, 2017
Arab states expected to impose more sanctions on Qatar
Saudi-led states blockading Qatar set to meet in Bahrain on Sunday to discuss further measures
Qatar
Airways Group employees stand in front of a wall bearing a portrait of
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a gathering to
showcase support to the country and its leader, in Doha (AFP)
Sunday 30 July 2017
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain are
expected to discuss imposing new economic sanctions on Qatar when they
meet in the Bahraini capital Manama on Sunday, the pan-Arab al-Hayat
newspaper reported.
The four Arab states cut ties with Qatar on 5 June, accusing it of
backing terrorist groups and cozying up to their arch-foe Iran,
allegations Doha denies.
Foreign ministers of the four countries "are expected to impose
sanctions that will gradually affect the Qatari economy," al-Hayat
newspaper said, citing unidentified Gulf sources, without giving any
further details.
Bahrain's state news agency BNA said on Saturday that King Hamad bin Isa
al-Khalifa had hailed cooperation between the four countries in
fighting terrorism.
King Hamad called for "the solidarity of all Arab countries in fighting
terrorism and cutting off its financing ... for the defence of our
homelands".
What's behind this crisis, of course, is Qatari sovereignty and independence to put it very simply- Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed al-Thani, Qatari minister
Diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait and involving the United States and
Turkey have failed to end the row, which has affected travel and
communications between Qatar and the four countries and led to harsh
verbal exchanges in the media.
Saudi Arabia has closed its land border with Qatar while all four
countries have cut air and sea links with Doha, demanding the
gas-exporting country take several measures to show it was changing its
policies.
Turkey and Iran have stepped in to provide fresh produce, poultry and
dairy products to Qatar instead of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Oman
providing alternative ports to those in the UAE.
The four Arab countries added 18 more groups and individuals they say are linked to Qatar to their terrorist lists last week.
Kuwait is leading mediation efforts in the crisis, the worst to grip the
region since the 1981 creation of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation
Council.
Kuwait and Oman - GCC members along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar - have not joined the Qatar boycott.
On Friday, Qatar said it would never bow to Saudi-led demands to "outsource" its foreign policy to resolve the Gulf crisis.
Qatar has had to rely on imports from Iran and Turkey since the crisis broke out (AFP)
Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed al-Thani, who holds ministerial rank, accused
Doha's adversaries in the crisis – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and
Egypt – of meddling in Qatar's internal affairs.
"What's behind this crisis, of course, is Qatari sovereignty and
independence to put it very simply. It is about ... outsourcing our
foreign policy so that decisions are not made in Qatar, and that is
something that will never be acceptable," he told AFP.
Sheikh Saif said the Saudi-led bloc had laid down a new "ultimatum" on
Tuesday by publishing a list of individuals and "terrorist" entities
allegedly linked to Doha.
The blacklist contained nine organisations and nine individuals the
Saudi-led bloc accuses of supporting terrorists with finances from
Qatar.
This "list, it's still an ultimatum, it's still something that is stalling resolving the crisis," the official said.
However, "we have said it from the start, we are open to dialogue, we
are open to negotiating ... The first step should be lifting the illegal
blockade."