Four Arab nations cut ties with Qatar
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt move to isolate nation they say supports terrorism: https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
Printable View
Four Arab nations cut ties with Qatar
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt move to isolate nation they say supports terrorism: https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
It's 6 countries
"The diplomatic withdrawal was put into motion by Bahrain then Saudi Arabia early on Monday. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Yemen and Libya followed suit."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-40155829
SA is a bit puzzling though, must be something to do with Trump's recent visit.
Qatar is the chosen boogy man it looks like.
They know the propaganda that iran are the worst influence is widely not believed now.
Trump will be involved in this won't he?. It can't be just a coincidence it has happened at the same time as his trip.
Major ramifications for 2022 world cup surely?. Probably not!.
Do you pay for FT organ?. I've had a trial in the past but it is too pricey from the offers on.
I can read it and I'm not a subscriber.Quote:
Originally Posted by ninianclark
:sherlock:
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
29 MINUTES AGO by: Simeon Kerr in Dubai
Saudi Arabia and three other Arab nations have severed diplomatic ties and cut off transport links with Qatar in an extraordinary attempt to isolate the Gulf state as they claim its regional policies fuel extremism and terrorism.
The unprecedented move against Doha includes Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and escalates a dispute over Qatar’s support for political Islamist groups and perceptions that it is open to closer ties with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival.
Citing an official source, the Saudi news agency said the kingdom was cutting ties for the “protection of national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism”.
The four Arab states said they would close air and sea transport links with Qatar, the world’s top exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the host of an important US military base in the Middle East. One of the world’s richest nations, Qatar is a crucial supplier of LNG to Asia and Europe and a large investor in the UK and Europe through its sovereign wealth fund.
The three Gulf states have also blocked their nationals from travelling to Qatar and given Qataris two weeks to leave their countries. They said they would pursue legal avenues in an attempt to block friendly countries and companies transiting to and from Qatar across their airspace. The closure of Qatar’s only land border with Saudi Arabia threatens food supplies to the import dependent state, which is set to host the World Cup football tournament in 2022.
Qatar, long considered a regional maverick that pursues its own agenda, admits support for some Islamist movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, but denies backing terrorism.
Doha expressed regret about the decision, which it said “was founded on allegations that have no basis in fact”. The measures would not affect the daily lives of citizens and residents, according to a statement carried by state-owned Al Jazeera.
Qatar’s stock market dropped 5.5 per cent in early trade in response to the diplomatic rift. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose by more than 1 per cent — or 50 cents — to $50.46 a barrel in early London trading on the news.
The deepening regional dispute comes after Saudi Arabia and its regional allies have been emboldened by Donald Trump, who chose Riyadh for his first overseas trip as president. During the visit he met Arab leaders — including Qatar’s emir — and endorsed Riyadh’s campaign to challenge Iranian influence in the Middle East with $110bn in arms sales to the kingdom.
Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, on Monday played down the impact of the dispute between US allies on the fight against Isis while urging all sides to sit down for talks to address their differences.
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
“I do not expect that this will have any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified, the unified, fight against terrorism in the region or globally,” he told reporters on a trip to Sydney.
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
Qatar Airways, a fast-growing international carrier, is now threatened with disruption to its network if flights cannot access the airspace of the country’s three closest neighbours.
Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad and Emirates, the UAE carrier, said they would suspend all flights to Qatar from Tuesday until further notice.
Announcing the new measures, Sunni-ruled Bahrain, which has been hit by protests from the majority Shia for years, accused Qatar of “financing armed groups associated with Iran to carry out subversive attacks” in the tiny kingdom.
The UAE, meanwhile, accused Qatar of spreading al-Qaeda’s ideology through its media and harbouring wanted extremists.
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
Qatar’s continued support for terrorist groups was “pushing the region into a new phase with unforeseeable consequences”, it said.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain accuse predominantly Shia Iran of fuelling conflicts and unrest across the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Yemen. Qatar is a Sunni state, but it has traditionally had better ties with Tehran than its Gulf neighbours.
Attempts to isolate Qatar internationally mark an escalation of a similar diplomatic spat in 2014, when Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama united against Doha over its support for Islamist movements.
Ties frayed last week when Saudi and Emirati-owned media carried comments allegedly made by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which were interpreted as being supportive of Iran and Islamist movements.
Please use the sharing tools found via the email icon at the top of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/dc24473c-...4-c742b9791d43
Qatar said the statements, the result of a hacking incident, were false — an explanation questioned by Saudi and Emirati media.
A media war of words has since erupted across the Gulf.
UAE media have been reporting previous claims that Qatar has failed to crack down on terrorist supporters in the country. Qatar’s popular Al Jazeera satellite TV station and website have been blocked in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
Qatari media enthusiastically reported on the hacking of emails purporting to show the UAE ambassador to the US had a close relationship with think-tanks campaigning against Qatar over its alleged terrorist links.
I'm accessing using Chrome with no problem at no cost.Quote:
Originally Posted by LordKenwyne
The stated reasons for this unforeseen move is not what we've been told. I think we can be sure about that.
Pot, Kettle springs to mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Organ Morgan.
The interesting thing about Qatar is their strong ties to the Clintons. Maybe Trump tipped off the Saudi's that they should dump them asap?
I'll guess that they've signed a deal or reached an understanding with a country, countries or some other entity that the neocohens disapprove of. Hillary Clinton cited both Qatar and Saudi Arabia as the money behind ISIS in her leaked email to John Podesta.
Well it sounds like politics , Trump has sided back with the Saudis , spoken out against the last administrations deal with Iran ( lets be fair Iran is no saint ) ,perhaps he's more canny than we think at Geopolitics ,he's certainly not scared to say what he thinks to certain countries, North Korea are relatively quiet at the moment, he's not a tread careful diplomat like the last lot,not sure where that got them anyway .Quote:
Originally Posted by Wales-Bales