UAE calls for western monitoring of Qatar

Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates yesterday called for a western monitoring mechanism to force Qatar to end its alleged support for terrorism, according to a report. 

Anwar Gargash, the UAE foreign minister, told the Guardian:  “If we get clear strategic signals that Qatar is going to change and it will stop funding violent Islamist militants that is the basis for a discussion, but we would need a monitoring system.”

He further stressed that the monitoring system will ensure “Qatar was no longer funding extremism, harbouring extremists in Doha, or providing support to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and al-Qaida. Qatar denies supporting the groups.” 

Noting that there is zero trust existing between Qatar and its neighbours Gargash said, “there are no specific asks right now”, adding he did not want to get into trading offers.

Gargash insisted “this very serious dispute is not about a personal family rift or vendetta between monarchies, or an attempt to curtail Qatar’s foreign policy. How far are we willing to take this – we are willing to take this to isolation in the Gulf Co-operation Council.

“In 2014 we tried to do things diplomatically and we failed. The Emir of Qatar did not stick to his word so this time we are saying we will ostracise you. I’m worried less about escalation, and more about isolation of Qatar.

“We have tried the carrot with Qatar, and now we must try the stick. What we have learnt in the past few years is the grey area between extremism and terrorism has become more defined. The extremist narrative has to be countered to defeat terrorism.”

He identified 59 individuals walking free in Doha that had been identified as terrorists or financiers of terrorism, including 14 that are sanctioned by the US State Department and nine by the United Nations.

Gargash said it was like entering a crime scene and finding Qatar’s fingerprints in every room. Qatar counters that the UN and the US run lists of terrorist funders and there is no evidence that Qatar has not taken legal action against those identified as culpable.

He said Qatar was backing Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly called al-Nusra Front – the al-Qaida franchise in Syria and in Libya that backs al-Qaida groups including Libyan Fighting Group, the Derna Shura Council and the Benghazi Shura Council.

He said: “It is like playing a football match when you discover one of your own team is trying to score an own goal in every match you play.”