Qatar expresses readiness for dialogue, calling its media to ‘not offend Gulf symbols’

Mohammed El-Said
3 Min Read
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah smiles as he arrives for the opening session of the parliament on Tuesday in Kuwait City, where he called for a change in old concepts and the adoption of reforms. This comes a day after the government said it will review subsidy policies. (AFP Photo / Yasser Al-Zayyat )

The Gulf crisis has surfaced again after the statements of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah regarding the crisis. The statements came in light of his efforts to prepare for the upcoming summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

In a statement to the Kuwaiti Parliament on Tuesday, Al-Sabah warned of the collapse of the Council if the crisis with Qatar remained unresolved. He also warned the escalation could lead to international intervention, which might destroy the Gulf region.

As the main mediator in the crisis, Emir Sabah stressed the continuity of Kuwait’s mediation efforts, saying “history and generations will not forgive those who participated in escalating the Gulf crisis. What gathers us is more than what divides us.”

Kuwait is set to host the upcoming GCC summit in December amid fears of cancelling or postponing the summit due to the ongoing Gulf crisis.

As a response on Emir Sabah’s call, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that Qatar asserted its insistence to have a dialogue, calling on the Qatari media and people not to offend the Gulf symbols.

The ministry expressed Qatar’s appreciation for the efforts of the emir of Kuwait and his call for dialogue, which Qatar describes as one of its consistent principals.

Meanwhile, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubair said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia rejects terrorism and hatred rhetoric, which he accused Doha of spreading.

During his speech in the Chatham House International Affairs Think Tank in London, Al-Jubair claimed that the memorandum, which Doha has signed with the United States recently on confronting terrorism, was a result of the boycott. He also believes that the Qatari step to allow US officials to visit Qatari banks was also a result of the boycott.

In an interview with France 24 TV, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stressed that Qatar should respond to the demands of the four Arab countries boycotting Doha, as a condition for normalising relations.

In June, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain boycotted Qatar on accusations of supporting terrorism and intervening in the internal affairs of the four countries. They presented 13 demands to Doha to normalise relations with it, including shutting Al Jazeera network and cutting ties with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, in addition to shutting the Turkish military base.

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Mohammed El-Said is the Science Editor for the Daily News Egypt with over 8 years of experience as a journalist. His work appeared in the Science Magazine, Nature Middle East, Scientific American Arabic Edition, SciDev and other regional and international media outlets. El-Said graduated with a bachelor's degree and MSc in Human Geography, and he is a PhD candidate in Human Geography at Cairo University. He also had a diploma in media translation from the American University in Cairo.
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