Four Arab states on Monday sought to pile pressure on Qatar over charges it backs terrorism, saying the publication of a previously secret accord between Riyadh and Doha showed Qatar broke a promise not to meddle in the affairs of Gulf countries.
The text of the 2013 accord, whose existence was known, but whose contents have never before been made public, was first published on Monday by CNN on Monday and later released on social media by Saudi officials.
In a joint statement, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said the publication of the accord, meant to settle a dispute between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, “confirms beyond any doubt Qatar’s failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges.”
Photo: AFP
Amid fresh tension with Qatar, the four slapped sanctions on Doha on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, cozying up to Iran, backing the Muslim Brotherhood and interference in their affairs.
The four say Qatar pledged to desist from interfering in its neighbors’ politics in the 2013 agreement.
Qatar has rejected the charges and said the four countries are trying to impose their own views on its foreign policies.
The document surfaced as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in the region to help Washington’s allies hammer out a way out of the crisis.
In response, Qatar accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of breaking the spirit of the Riyadh agreement and engaging in an “unwarranted and unprecedented attack on Qatar’s sovereignty.”
The Riyadh accord aimed to enhance cooperation between sovereign Gulf Arab states and avoid interference in their internal affairs, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.
Kuwaiti mediation efforts hit a snag last week when the four Arab states said they were disappointed with Qatar’s response to their list of 13 demands.
Qatar said the demands, which included ending support for militant groups, the closure of al-Jazeera TV channel, shutting down a Turkish military base in Qatar and downgrading ties with Iran, were an infringement of its sovereignty.
QNA reported that Qatari Government Communication Office Director Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed Al Thani as aying the 13 demands bore no relation to the Riyadh accord and the latest crisis was the result of a coordinated media campaign against Qatar.
“Some of the allegations and demands of the siege countries have no basis, while others were an unwarranted and unprecedented attack on the sovereignty of the state of Qatar in violation to all international and regional agreements,” Al Thani said.
The 2013 agreement, reached at a meeting in Riyadh hosted by then-Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, was signed by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah, while an implementation mechanism was signed by the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers.
In the document, the parties agreed to refrain from backing any “political currents that pose a threat to any member country of the [Gulf Cooperation] Council” and provided for Muslim Brotherhood leaders who are non-GCC citizens to leave the area.
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