Qartet stands firm on Qatar demands

Manama : The foreign ministers of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, who met here yesterday on Qatar crisis said that they stood firm by their decision to continue boycotting Qatar, saying they are willing to re-establish ties with Doha only if it adheres to regional and international agreements as well as the demands and principles issued by the quartet.

Asserting that they would make no compromises in their demands, the foreign ministers of the four countries said they were open to talks with Qatar on condition that it “stops its support and financing of terrorism”. 

The Qartet in June issued a list of demands for the lifting of sanctions, including the termination of regional news giant Al-Jazeera, the downgrading of ties to Iran and the closure of a Turkish military base in the country.

Yesterday’s discussion was a continuation of their meeting in Cairo on July 5, after which they announced a list of six broad principles.

 “We are ready to engage in discussions with Qatar if it expresses its genuine desire to implement our demands,” said Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during a joint press conference yesterday, adding: “Qatar must stop funding terrorism, interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, inciting hatred and adhere to regional and international agreements.”

“We reiterate the importance of Qatar’s compliance with the 13 demands outlined by the four states,” the quartet said in a joint statement yesterday.

The quartet said Qatar must abide by agreements – including the 2013 Riyadh Agreement and the 2014 Supplemental Agreement.They reiterated their commitment to standing together and fighting terrorism. The foreign ministers reviewed the latest developments regarding the crisis in Qatar and the contacts they have made at the regional and international levels in order to enhance solidarity among the four countries, support Arab national security and eliminate terrorism to preserve regional and international peace and security.

HM meets ministers

Earlier on Saturday, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa met with the foreign affairs ministers at Al Sakhir Palace.

He called for regional and international solidarity to fight terrorism and stop its funding to defeat it once and for all.

“The four nations have offered many martyrs in our battle against terrorism and in defense of our countries and peoples,” His Majesty the King said.