Qatari Media Undermining Efforts To End Gulf Conflict: UAE

UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said that a summit between Qatar and the four former Gulf allies is set to take place next month to discuss resolving the three-year-old dispute, but the Qatari media is undermining those efforts.

UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash did not name the media outlet he was referring to.

But his remarks came a day after Qatar’s Al Jazeera TV reported that several journalists’ phones had been hacked by some countries in the region.

“The current political and social climate in the Gulf suggests that the crisis in Qatar is coming to an end and that it will need to live up to its promises to improve the region,” he said in a tweet.

Advertisement

الأجواء السياسية والإجتماعية في الخليج العربي تتطلع إلى إنهاء أزمة قطر وتبحث عن الوسيلة الأمثل لضمان إلتزام الدوحة بأي إتفاق يحمل في ثناياه الخير للمنطقة، أما المنصات الإعلامية القطرية فتبدو مصممة على تقويض أي إتفاق.

ظاهرة غريبة وصعبة التفسير.

— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) December 22, 2020

Last Thursday, Kuwait announced that a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Organization would be held in Saudi Arabia on January 5. Kuwait has also expressed a desire to end the conflict.

In addition to Qatar, the organization includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar in June 2017. He accused Qatar of being close to Iran and funding extremist organizations, of which Qatar has denied the allegations.

These countries also banned land and air links with Qatar.

Earlier this month, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said an end to the Gulf crisis was imminent and that all governments were in touch and an agreement was expected soon.

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have announced their support for the talks, but diplomatic sources say the UAE is reluctant to agree to an agreement.