Qatar’s minister hits out at diplomatic gang up against Doha

Oil rich Qatar has hit out at Gulf States’ gang up against it describing the on-going diplomatic row between Doha and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt as “political squeeze”.

A senior counter-terrorism adviser to Qatar’s foreign minister Mutlaq al-Qahtani condemned the development calling it a “policy of domination and control” after the aforementioned states as well as other allies cut ties with Qatar’s over its alleged funding of armed groups.

“I think this is not about counter-terrorism, it’s not about terror financing,” Qahtani said.

“I think it is about an orchestrated campaign against my country to pressure my country to change its active, independent foreign policy. This policy of domination and control is not going to work.”

Read also: DIPLOMATIC ROW: US, Russia call for dialogue between Qatar and Gulf of Arab states

Qahtani added: “When it comes to terrorism, Qatar has never supported terrorism, Qatar does not support terrorism, Qatar will not support terrorism.”

In a related development, the on-going diplomatic row between has been condemned by world leaders with the US and Russia calling for dialogue while also offering to mediate in the matter.

US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have both offered to mediate between Gulf Arab states and Qatar over a festering diplomatic row which has seen a blockade on Doha for the seventh day.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the two leaders spoke on the phone and “discussed the consequences of the decision by a number of Arab countries to break diplomatic ties with Qatar.”

 

 

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