The ongoing Gulf crisis should be resolved based on the principle of justice and by respecting the sovereignty of Qatar, HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah has said, stressing that the demands of the blockading countries are contradictory.
The chairman of the Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy and Sustainable Development made the observation during an interview with Al Jazeera on Monday evening, as reported by local Arabic daily Arrayah.
He said the continued blockade of Qatar will have an adverse effect on the entire Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, and there is a need for some wise minds “to prevent the final nail from being driven into the coffin of the GCC”.
HE al-Attiyah said the crisis has created a big rift that will remain even if the problem is
resolved for now.
The signing of an agreement with the US to fight terrorism has “perplexed and shocked” the blockading countries, he continued, adding that this move by Qatar provides ample evidence that the country does not
support terrorism.
Further, he said the foreign ministers of the blockading countries seemed confused during their recent meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
He also wondered about the absence of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, at the meeting.
He noted that the UAE was indulging in political hypocrisy as they were still importing Qatari gas and at the same time claiming that Qatar was financing terrorism. He also stressed that the blockading countries would not be able to alienate Qatar from the GCC.
Meanwhile, HE al-Attiyah said the siege countries leaked the Riyadh Agreement to coincide with the visit of the US Secretary of State. There is nothing in the agreement that condemns Qatar, he added.
Eventually, the blockading countries have failed to demonise Qatar though they spent millions for this purpose. They were also shocked when European countries asked them to present evidence on Qatar’s involvement in terror activities.