Qatar’s role ‘ineffective’

Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Minister yesterday slammed the Qatari regime for undermining the importance of summits in Makkah which threw its support behind Palestinian cause and Saudi Arabia over tensions with Iran. Terming Qatar’s participation in the Makkah summit as ‘weak’ and ‘ineffective’, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa said the summits were to maintain national security and confront the challenges threatening Arab countries.

Saudi Arabia hosted three summits in the holy city over the weekend critical of Iran after King Salman warned that “terrorist” attacks in the Gulf region could imperil global energy supplies. Three summits, two emergency GCC and Arab summits, as well as the 14th Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), were held in Makkah. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa led Bahrain’s delegation to the summit.

Bahrain’s participation, the minister said, stemmed from HM the King’s belief in the pivotal role of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in leading Arab and Islamic joint action. The minister expressed surprise at Qatar’s reservations on the Arab and Gulf summits’ final communiqué which stressed that the security of the GCC states is indivisible, according to the principles outlined in the Joint Defence Agreement of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

A Qatari foreign ministry statement said that summits terms are ‘contrary to Doha’s foreign policy.” Qatar’s stance, Shaikh Khalid said, proves how distant the regime is at a time when the strengthening relations between GCC countries emerged as the prime goal.