DUBAI/WASHINGTON: The UAE said Friday it considers Qatar’s decree to amend its anti-terrorism law a positive step as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ) — comprising Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE — to lift a “land blockade” on Doha while Beijing called for a negotiated settlement to the standoff.
“The Qatari decree to amend the anti-terrorism law is a positive step to deal seriously with the 59 terrorists,” Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.
The ATQ designated dozens of people with alleged links to Qatar as terrorists, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef Qaradawi, and 12 entities, among them Qatari-funded charities.
“The pressure of the crisis has started to bear fruits, and the wiser course would be changing the whole orientation,” Gargash added.
He also said the countries’ concerns about Qatar’s relationship with Iran had eased since Kuwait ordered the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador and 14 other diplomats for alleged links to a “spy and terror” cell on Thursday.
Terror financing
Last month, the ATQ imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.
In Washington, Tillerson said the US was satisfied with Qatar’s efforts to implement an agreement aimed at combating terror financing.
He said Qatar was willing to sit with the four countries to discuss their demands, but that it was important to Doha “that the sovereignty and dignity of all five countries be respected in those discussions.”
Tillerson shuttled between Gulf countries last week to convince them to help ease the dispute.
While in the Gulf, he signed the accord with Qatar on terrorism financing in a bid to ease the crisis, but Qatar’s opponents said it fell short of addressing their concerns.
“They have been very aggressive in implementing that agreement, so I think we’re satisfied with the effort they’re putting forth,” Tillerson told reporters just before meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the State Department.
“I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade which is really having the most, I think, negative effects on the Qatari people,” Tillerson said.
The US will post officials at the Qatari state prosecutor’s office as part of the agreement Tillerson signed with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, people familiar with the matter said.
The agreement has not been approved by the ATQ. No details about the contents of the agreement have been publicly released.
But a Western official in the Gulf, who has seen the document, said it specifies actions Qatar will take by the end of the year, including placing two US Department of Justice officials in Qatar’s general prosecution.
“They will work hand in hand with Qatar to charge individuals accused of financing terrorists,” said the official.
“It’s a very strong agreement. If followed, this should achieve exactly what US President Donald Trump requested in the Riyadh summit,” said the official.
Chinese position
Also Friday, China said it supported Kuwait’s mediation in the dispute and stood ready to play a constructive role in promoting peace through talks if necessary.
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, also called on Qatar and the ATQ to resolve their diplomatic crisis through talks within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Wang made the remarks after meeting with the Qatari foreign minister in Beijing on Thursday, a day after he held talks with Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, UAE minister of state.
“All sides should continue restraint and conduct face-to-face talks as soon as possible, so as to avoid escalation of the situation, send out a positive signal in addressing the crisis through political and diplomatic means, and reassure the role of the GCC,” Wang was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Qatar’s foreign minister said his country is willing to launch constructive talks on the basis of respecting sovereignty, non-interference in domestic affairs and complying with international law, according to Xinhua.
During Wednesday’s talks with the UAE minister, Wang called for the crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means, Xinhua had reported this week.
‘Shameful situation’
In New York, Egypt accused Qatar of adopting a “pro-terrorist” policy that violated UN Security Council resolutions and described it as “shameful” that the 15-member body had not held Qatar accountable.
Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Qatar’s UN ambassador, rejected the accusations made by Egyptian Deputy UN Ambassador Ihab Awad Moustafa after the Security Council adopted a resolution to renew sanctions on Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
“It’s crucial for the Security Council to make these countries that don’t respect these resolutions accountable,” Moustafa told the council.
He said Qatar “believes that the economic interests and the different political orientations will protect them from any accountability vis-a-vis the Security Council because it has violated the resolutions of the council.
“That shameful situation cannot continue,” he said. “This council’s resolutions must be effective, they must stop any violation.”
Erdogan visit
In Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would do its best to solve problems between the “brothers of the Gulf region” as he prepared to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar on Sunday and Monday.
He also called on Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states to invest in Turkey.
“The Qatari decree to amend the anti-terrorism law is a positive step to deal seriously with the 59 terrorists,” Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.
The ATQ designated dozens of people with alleged links to Qatar as terrorists, including Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef Qaradawi, and 12 entities, among them Qatari-funded charities.
“The pressure of the crisis has started to bear fruits, and the wiser course would be changing the whole orientation,” Gargash added.
He also said the countries’ concerns about Qatar’s relationship with Iran had eased since Kuwait ordered the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador and 14 other diplomats for alleged links to a “spy and terror” cell on Thursday.
Terror financing
Last month, the ATQ imposed sanctions on Qatar, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with Iran. Qatar denies the allegations.
In Washington, Tillerson said the US was satisfied with Qatar’s efforts to implement an agreement aimed at combating terror financing.
He said Qatar was willing to sit with the four countries to discuss their demands, but that it was important to Doha “that the sovereignty and dignity of all five countries be respected in those discussions.”
Tillerson shuttled between Gulf countries last week to convince them to help ease the dispute.
While in the Gulf, he signed the accord with Qatar on terrorism financing in a bid to ease the crisis, but Qatar’s opponents said it fell short of addressing their concerns.
“They have been very aggressive in implementing that agreement, so I think we’re satisfied with the effort they’re putting forth,” Tillerson told reporters just before meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the State Department.
“I hope the four countries will consider as a sign of good faith lifting this land blockade which is really having the most, I think, negative effects on the Qatari people,” Tillerson said.
The US will post officials at the Qatari state prosecutor’s office as part of the agreement Tillerson signed with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, people familiar with the matter said.
The agreement has not been approved by the ATQ. No details about the contents of the agreement have been publicly released.
But a Western official in the Gulf, who has seen the document, said it specifies actions Qatar will take by the end of the year, including placing two US Department of Justice officials in Qatar’s general prosecution.
“They will work hand in hand with Qatar to charge individuals accused of financing terrorists,” said the official.
“It’s a very strong agreement. If followed, this should achieve exactly what US President Donald Trump requested in the Riyadh summit,” said the official.
Chinese position
Also Friday, China said it supported Kuwait’s mediation in the dispute and stood ready to play a constructive role in promoting peace through talks if necessary.
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, also called on Qatar and the ATQ to resolve their diplomatic crisis through talks within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Wang made the remarks after meeting with the Qatari foreign minister in Beijing on Thursday, a day after he held talks with Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, UAE minister of state.
“All sides should continue restraint and conduct face-to-face talks as soon as possible, so as to avoid escalation of the situation, send out a positive signal in addressing the crisis through political and diplomatic means, and reassure the role of the GCC,” Wang was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Qatar’s foreign minister said his country is willing to launch constructive talks on the basis of respecting sovereignty, non-interference in domestic affairs and complying with international law, according to Xinhua.
During Wednesday’s talks with the UAE minister, Wang called for the crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means, Xinhua had reported this week.
‘Shameful situation’
In New York, Egypt accused Qatar of adopting a “pro-terrorist” policy that violated UN Security Council resolutions and described it as “shameful” that the 15-member body had not held Qatar accountable.
Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Qatar’s UN ambassador, rejected the accusations made by Egyptian Deputy UN Ambassador Ihab Awad Moustafa after the Security Council adopted a resolution to renew sanctions on Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
“It’s crucial for the Security Council to make these countries that don’t respect these resolutions accountable,” Moustafa told the council.
He said Qatar “believes that the economic interests and the different political orientations will protect them from any accountability vis-a-vis the Security Council because it has violated the resolutions of the council.
“That shameful situation cannot continue,” he said. “This council’s resolutions must be effective, they must stop any violation.”
Erdogan visit
In Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would do its best to solve problems between the “brothers of the Gulf region” as he prepared to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar on Sunday and Monday.
He also called on Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states to invest in Turkey.
