Qatar hindering pilgrims: Shaikh Khalid

Manama : Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmad Al Khalifa has hit out at Qatar for not cooperating to help its haj pilgrims after Riyadh reopened the border despite a major diplomatic crisis. 

“Qatar is not only hindering its people from performing Haj under various allegations. It is also claiming that the officials in charge of Haj in Saudi Arabia are the ones who have been setting up obstacles and hurdles. Obviously, there is no limit to exploitation and abuse,” Shaikh Khalid posted on his Twitter account.

Shaikh Khalid said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz has had good intentions since the start of the Qatar crisis to exempt Qatari pilgrims from all bans and restrictions.

“However, his intentions were met with escapism, exploitation and abuse,” he posted to 421,220 followers on the social microblog Twitter.

“We are not evil people and we do not concoct abuses; however, any abuse of Saudi Arabia is an insult to Bahrain that we do not accept and to which we will vigorously respond to. He who starts the fight is the belligerent,” he said on Twitter.

Shaikh Khalid posted his comments following reports that Saudi planes had not been given the go-ahead to land in Doha and transport Qatari pilgrims as pledged by King Salman bin Abdul Aziz last week. 

The Saudi monarch, responding to a mediation effort by Qatari Shaikh Abdullah Bin Ali Al Thani, ordered the re-opening of the Salwa crossing border to allow Qataris to drive into the kingdom.

The border had been closed since June 5 when Saudi Arabia cut its diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar. 

King Salman also ordered that Qatari nationals could fly from the airports of Ahsa and Dammam in the Eastern Province to Jeddah, 70 kilometres from Makkah where the annual Haj  rituals  are held.