DUBAI: A top Emirati diplomat said on Saturday that US and European guarantees would be needed to monitor any future agreement aimed at ending a row between Qatar and its neighbors.
The dispute erupted when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and others broke ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing extremism. Doha denies the claim.
Anwar Gargash, Emirati state minister for foreign affairs, said the dispute could be resolved “through diplomacy if Qatar renounces its support for extremism and terrorism.”
Gargash said: “We don’t want European mediation, and I don’t think the Europeans want to be mediators. Their role should be to put pressure on Qatar.”
“If Qatar follows the path of wisdom ... we would need a system of guarantees and controls” in order to implement an accord with Doha, he said, calling for “European and American guarantees.”
During a visit to Paris on Monday, Gargash called on Western nations including the US, France, Germany and Britain to help monitor any agreement reached with Qatar to ensure they are not cooperating with terrorists.
“They have the diplomatic clout and technical know-how,” Gargash said at the time.
Gargash said the Arab countries isolating Qatar do not seek to force out the country’s leadership but are willing to cut ties if it does not agree to their demands.
In Qatar’s first response to the demands, government communications director Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al-Thani said on Saturday that they went far beyond the four governments’ stated aim of combating terrorism.
“This blockade is not aimed at fighting terrorism but at impinging on Qatar’s sovereignty and interfering in its foreign policy,” Sheikh Saif said.
UAE: US, European guarantees needed to solve Gulf crisis
UAE: US, European guarantees needed to solve Gulf crisis
