‘Qatar supports peoples’ aspirations, not groups’

The deployment of Turkish troops in Qatar was according to an agreement that was signed long before the Saudi-led block laid siege to the country, Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to the United States has said.
He said he is not worried about the possibility of a military confrontation in the region. In a speech that he gave during an interactive session at the World Affairs Council in Washington, the ambassador said the 13 demands that Doha received from the siege countries were neither convincing nor logical, adding that they jeopardised state sovereignty and repressed free press. He noted that the siege countries wanted Qatar to give up its sovereignty in return for lifting the blockade.
Sheikh Meshal said Qatar is trying to handle the issue positively and constructively, adding that it wanted the four countries to sit around the negotiation table.
On the accusation that Qatar has forged a coalition with the Muslim Brotherhood, the ambassador denied the charge, saying that such a view was the result of Emirati and Saudi propaganda. “Qatar doesn’t ally with groups but rather supports peoples to achieve their aspirations.”