*Qatar warns consequences of sectarian divide, polarisation

Qatar has again affirmed its support to Kuwaiti mediation to solve the Gulf crisis, while expressing hope for a positive response from the siege countries to reach an amicable end to the now nine-month old dispute.

At a press conference held in Geneva on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council meeting, HE Lulwah Rashid al-Khater, official spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said the only way out of this crisis is through Kuwaiti mediation.

"Qatar welcomes Kuwaiti mediation and respects the positive and active role of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah," she said.

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was the only leader among the parties of the Gulf crisis who attended the GCC summit in Kuwait City in appreciation of Kuwaiti mediation, she said asking the siege countries to take serious steps and to respond to the Kuwaiti appeals to return to talks.

The official said the siege imposed on Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, by closing land, sea and air routes is illegal, noting that about 90% of the food and medicine needs of Qatar entered via Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

She also pointed to the expulsion of Qatari students from the universities of the siege countries and the ban on the citizens of these countries to travel to Qatar, with some exceptions like evidence of the presence of relatives and families in Qatar. She stressed that Qatar did not reciprocate with similar measures as that of the siege countries, noting the presence of about 200,000 Egyptians working in Qatar, despite the fact that Egypt was one of the blockading countries .

"Qatar remains the fastest growing economy among the GCC countries despite the siege," she said, stressing that Qatar remained the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and the second largest exporter of helium. "Qatar's economy is strong, but its concerns about the Gulf crisis are threefold: human rights violations, regional security, and the insistence of the siege countries to resort to back-door-policy instead of dealing with diplomatic and political channels," she said.

The official also pointed out that the siege came in the context of a series of crises launched by the same parties, referring to the growing polarisation in the region triggered by a sectarian discourse. "We are concerned about the sectarian discourse used in the polarisation in the region."

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