AFP/Abu Dhabi
UAE-Qatar relations remain strong, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan said yesterday.
“There are no disputes between the brothers” said Sheikh Mohamed, who is also deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, in remarks carried by Wam state news agency.
“Differences take place between brothers in one family, but nothing can separate between us and our brothers in Qatar,” he said, stressing that he enjoys strong links with HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Abu Dhabi summoned Doha’s envoy on Sunday to protest against what it said were “insults” to the UAE made by prominent Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi.
In a weekly Friday prayers sermon in Doha last month, Qaradawi accused the UAE of “standing against Islamist regimes, punishing its leaders and putting them in jail”.
His comments came just days after the UAE jailed a group of 30 Emiratis and Egyptians to terms ranging from three months to five years for forming a Muslim Brotherhood cell.
On Saturday, Qatar’s Foreign Minister, HE Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, disavowed Qaradawi’s remarks, saying “they do not reflect Qatari foreign policy” and insisting that ties between the two nations are “strategic in all aspects”.
“The foreign policy of Qatar is expressed and conveyed only through the official channels of the state,” al-Attiyah said.
