Saudi policies fracturing Middle East, threatening peace: Qatar
Saudi Arabia’s “impulsive” and “crisis-making” policies are threatening peace and stability in the Middle East, says Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, accusing the Riyadh regime of making new crises to cover up its past ones.
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"I come from a region brimming with extremism," Thani told a Qatar-sponsored anti-terror conference in London on Thursday. "Although the Middle East was once a region of peace and co-existence, it has unfortunately been transferred into a region of terrorist and authoritarians where extremism flourishes.”
Condemning Saudi Arabia's regional policies, he added that the "root cause of terrorism" in the region is "tyranny, authoritarianism and the absence of justice."
The Qatari FM told journalists that Saudi Arabia was directly responsible for causing Yemen's “human catastrophe” that has left thousands of Yemenis dead and destroyed the country’s infrastructure since it began in March 2015.
"The political process is at a stalemate and we see the situation is becoming worse," he said of the situation in Yemen
He also accused Riyadh of “trying to pressure” Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign, referring to his seemingly forced resignation statement during a trip to Riyadh earlier this month. The Lebanese PM withdrew the resignation upon returning to Beirut earlier this week.
The results of "all these policies... negative," Thani told journalists.
Finally, the Qatari FM held Riyadh responsible for causing a months-long dispute between Qatar and a Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries—the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Bahrain and Egypt— “without an exit strategy.”
“Which policy of theirs has so far produced a positive result? It has all been counter-productive to stability in the region” Thani said of the Riyadh regime’s policies.
The bloc cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of sponsoring “terrorism” and destabilizing the region. They also imposed sanctions against the country, including restrictions on Qatari aircraft using their airspace. Doha rejects the claims, saying the boycotters are attacking its sovereignty.
