Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Saudis: ‘We Need Not to Concern Ourselves’ with Qatar

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister dismissed the Sunni kingdom’s dispute with Qatar as insignificant this week, saying it has bigger problems to address as the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) continues to implement dramatic reforms across the country.
Referring to threats Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir considers to be bigger challenges for the kingdom, he noted Iran’s growing strength and influence in the Middle East; war against terrorist organizations; the ongoing crisis neighboring Syria; Libya; Iran’s support for anti-Saudi Shiite Houthis in Yemen; and the ongoing implementation of historic reforms by MBS, reports Al Arabiya.
“We need not to concern ourselves with the Qatari subject,” emphasized Jubeir while speaking to Egyptian reporters on Sunday on the sidelines of the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo, adding:
We only want the best for them, they must not interfere in the internal of countries or find platforms for people who justify suicide bombings. [They must not] host individuals involved in financing terrorists – and they continue to collect money and send it terrorists and [there shouldn’t be] terrorist elements operating in Qatar, including the Muslim Brotherhood.
Considered the region’s most serious diplomatic crisis in years, the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Egypt have severed their ties with Qatar over the country’s alleged support for terrorism, particularly Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran and jihadist groups linked to the Shiite Islamic Republic.
Qatar denies the allegations. READ MORE