Middle East...:Gulf Crisis: Qatar Accuses Saudi Arabia of ‘C...

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Gulf Crisis: Qatar Accuses Saudi Arabia of ‘Clear Aggression’

Local Editor

As the ongoing Gulf crisis between Qatar and the Saudi-led coalition escalates, there are no signs of an ending, with neither side seemingly prepared to back down amid angry accusations and recriminations.

With tension rising between the two sides Qatar's foreign minister accused Saudi Arabia of "clear aggression" and enforcing an "illegal blockade" to "try to force us to surrender our sovereignty".

That was something "we'll never accept," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, with his country preparing to cope with a prolonged crisis.

Describing the Saudi-led action as "unprovoked, unjustified and unwarranted," al-Thani seemed doubtful that the situation would be resolved by the time Qatar hosts the football World Cup in 2022.

"Even if the blockade is lifted, we have to rely on ourselves and ensure we deliver a World Cup that is attractive to the world," he said.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain presented a list of 13 demands to Qatar, including ending its alleged "support for terrorism," shutting down the satellite television station Al-Jazeera and other media outlets, downgrading relations with Iran, ending the presence of Turkish troops in Qatar, cutting links with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas and paying compensation to "victims of terrorism".

Qatar was given a deadline until last Monday to accept the demands. Doha rejected them, stressing that many of them were based on ‘fabricated assertions.' The deadline was extended until Wednesday while another of the Gulf States, Kuwait, attempted to mediate.

A Qatari response to the charges has been presented to Saudi-led coalition which is holding a meeting in Cairo. The group stated that the punitive measures against Qatar will continue because of the "negative reaction" of Doha which lacked "understanding of the seriousness and gravity of the situation".

Al-Thani was speaking at think tank Chatham House in London, on the day that a report was published stating that Saudi Arabia was the chief promoter of extremism in Britain.

The Henry Jackson Society said there was a "clear and growing link" between extremist organizations receiving funding from the Kingdom, and hate preachers promoting terrorism.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team