UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain recall their ambassadors from Qatar
Qatar says it will not withdraw its ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain
- Gulf News report
- Published: 13:10 March 5, 2014
- WAM
- Published: 16:33 March 5, 2014
Dubai: The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain said on Wednesday they were withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar because Doha had not implemented an agreement among Gulf Arab countries not to interfere in each others' internal affairs.
Qatar said it will not withdraw its envoys from UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain despite differences in matters which it said were "external to the GCC".
The move by the three countries, conveyed in a joint statement, is unprecedented in the three-decade history of the Gulf Cooperation Council, an alliance of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Oman.
Qatar has been a maverick in the region, backing Islamist groups in Egypt, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East that are viewed with suspicion or outright hostility by some fellow GCC members.
The statement said GCC members had signed an agreement on November 23 not to back "anyone threatening the security and stability of the GCC whether as groups or individuals - via direct security work or through political influence, and not to support hostile media".
GCC foreign ministers had met in Riyadh on Tuesday to try to persuade Qatar to implement the agreement, it said. Media reports described the meeting as "stormy".
"But unfortunately, these efforts did not result in Qatar's agreement to abide by these measures, which prompted the three countries to start what they saw as necessary, to protect their security and stability, by withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar starting from today, March 5 2013," the statement said.
GCC countries "have exerted massive efforts to contact Qatar on all levels to agree on a unified policy... to ensure non-interference, directly or indirectly, in the internal affairs of any member state," the statement said.
The nations have also asked Qatar "not to support any party aiming to threaten security and stability of any GCC member," it added, citing media campaigns against them in particular.
The statement stressed that despite the commitment of Qatar's emir Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani to these principles in November, his country has failed to comply.
Media reports have said that Shaikh Tamim was given an ultimatum by Saudi Arabia in the November meeting in Riyadh that was facilitated by the Kuwaiti emir, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed. The new emir was told to change Qatar's ways and bring the country in line with the rest of the GCC with regards to regional issues. The GCC has in particular been concerned about Qatar's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, its close relations with Turkey, its opposition to the new regime in Egypt and its perceived support for Al Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Shaikh Tamim reportedly signed a pledge to comply and asked for a six month period to reorient his country, citing obstacles from remnants of the previous regime that was led by his father Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa in which the controversial prime minister and foreign minister Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani wielded enormous influence. Kuwait's efforts to resolve the two countries' differences stemmed from its reported desire to avoid a confrontation between the two sides in the GCC summit it was expected to hold the subsequent month. Shaikh Tamim was reportedly warned that relations with GCC states would deteriorate significantly if Qatar would not change its ways.
Relations between Qatar and the UAE have been rocky lately. A top UAE court on Monday sentenced Qatari national Mahmoud Al Jidah to seven years in prison followed by deportation after he was convicted with two Emiratis of raising funds for a banned local Muslim Brotherhood-linked group, Al Islah. The move was criticised by Qatar's National Human Rights Committee, which is close to the government.
The rights body said it will pursue Al Jidah's release, with its head Ali Bin Sumaikh Al Marri saying that the Abu Dhabi Federal Supreme Court "failed to implement international standards of a fair trial". He also alleged that Al Jidah's confessions were extracted "under torture".
Early in February, in a rare move for Gulf countries, the UAE announced that it had summoned Qatar's ambassador in Abu Dhabi for remarks made by controversial Egyptian-Qatari cleric Yousef Al Qaradawi. Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, expressed the UAE Government's "extreme resentment" over Al Qaradawi's statement. Speaking live on Qatari state TV from a Doha mosque, Al Qaradawi criticised the UAE for supporting the current Egyptian government. He claimed that the UAE "has always been opposed to Islamic rule".
"We have held back so that our neighbour can clearly reject such insult, extend sufficient clarifications and guarantee that such provocation and defamation will not recur," Gargash said then.
But Gen Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at the time insisted that UAE-Qatar relations remain strong despite the spat.
Qatar was a strong supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood led government of Mohammad Mursi that was ousted in July in a military coup led by army chief Abdul Fattah Al Sisi.
The Qatari government has also raised its neighbours' ire for failing to end its relations with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, which has been deeply involved the civil war in Syria, siding with the regime of Bashar Al Assad. Early last December, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said he had received an envoy from Qatar, the first contact between the two sides since divisions over the crisis in Syria severed their once strong relations.
Qatar, which used to enjoy close relations with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Turkey and Bashar Al Assad's Syria, has in recent years found itself isolated after relations with Hezbollah, Iran and Al Assad deteriorated. The GCC's decision is expected to further isolate the new emir.
- With inputs from Reuters, AFP
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UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain issue joint statement on Qatar
Statement reaffirms a commitment to the interests of the Qatari people
Abu Dhabi: A joint statement has been issued by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain, which reads as follows:
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain, would like to make it clear that, based on that which is dictated by the principles of the Islamic Sharia on the need for unity and cooperation in compliance with the words of Allah: "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided", and "And do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart".
In implementation of the principles of the basic system of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, which stipulated the realisation of Member States of common destiny and unity of goal that bind their people, and the aim of the Council to achieve coordination, cooperation and interdependence among member states in all fields, reaching to the unity, deepening and strengthening of ties and linkages and existing cooperation between their peoples in various fields.
Out of sincere desire of its leaders to exert all efforts for closer ties between the GCC countries, and according to the aspirations of the peoples to maintain what has been achieved, thanking Allah, of gains and achievements in the forefront, maintaining the security and stability of the GCC countries, which is stipulated in the security agreement signed between the GCC countries, as a collective responsibility borne by these countries, as their countries have exerted great efforts to communicate with the State of Qatar at all levels in order to agree on an approach ensuring moving within the framework of a unified policy for the GCC countries based on the principles set forth in the basic system of the Cooperation Council and in the agreements signed between them including the security agreement, and to comply with the principles that ensure non-interference in the internal affairs of any of the GCC countries, either directly or indirectly, and not to support any party that threatens the security and stability of the GCC countries whether organisations, or individuals, either through direct security work or by political influence, and not to support the hostile media.
However, these efforts have resulted in the approval of the State of Qatar through the signing of His Highness Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, on the agreement signed following a meeting held in Riyadh on 19/01/1435 Hijri corresponding to 23/11/2013 AD, in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, which was signed and endorsed by all the leaders of the GCC countries, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain had hoped for the aforementioned agreement to be put in place by the State of Qatar once it was signed.
However, in light of the passage of more than three months since the signing of the agreement without the State of Qatar taking the necessary measures to put it into force, based on the approach of openness and full transparency, which the leaders of the three countries have consistently worked for in all issues related to the higher national interests of their countries, and their realisation of the gravity of what is happening throughout the region, the great challenges and variables related to fateful issues, which have a direct affect on the security and stability of the GCC countries, the responsibility entrusted in them committing their Highnesses and Excellencies the Foreign Ministers of their respective countries to clarify the serious risk of the matter to the State of Qatar and the importance of standing as one against all things aimed to destabilise and prejudice the security of their countries, in the meeting, which was held in Kuwait on 17/04/1435 Hijri corresponding to 17/02/2014 AD in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait and His Highness Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar and GCC Ministers, during which they agreed that GCC Foreign Ministers would develop a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Riyadh agreement.
This was followed by a meeting of GCC Foreign Ministers in Riyadh on 03/05/1435 Hijri corresponding to 04/03/2014 AD, during which attempts were made to convince the State of Qatar of the great importance of taking the necessary measures to put the Riyadh agreement into effect and agree on a mechanism to monitor its implementation.
However, all these efforts unfortunately did not result in the approval of the State of Qatar to adhere to these procedures, which forced the three countries to start taking measures it deems as appropriate to protect its security and stability by withdrawing their ambassadors from Qatar, as of this day, 04/05/1435 Hijri, corresponding to 05/03/2014 AD.
The three countries confirmed their commitment to the interests of all the peoples of the GCC countries, including the brotherly people of Qatar who are considered an integral part of the rest of the peoples of the GCC countries, and hope that the State of Qatar will expedite taking the immediate steps to respond to that which had been agreed upon previously and to protect the march of the GCC states from any cracks, as upon this, their people hold high hopes.
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