As the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar by the neighbouring quartet has entered its third year, the Gulf region is witnessing a scramble by the blockading countries to acquit themselves before the international community, seeking to mislead public opinion. These states are in a bid to reduce the Gulf region to two capitals and portray Qatar as anti-Gulf.
But the reality is different and what they claim are blatant lies. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar and its diplomacy are keen on clarifying the country’s stance in all international forums, in which the country is doing a commendable job by laying bare the ploy of the siege countries.
Recently, speaking during the ‘Gulf Hour’ programme at Monte Carlo Doualiya (MCD), a Paris-based Arabic news radio station, H E Lulwa Rashid Al Khater, the official Spokesperson of Qatar’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed that Qatar is keen to support the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) saying that it will not turn its back on the group, especially as there is cooperation and coordination between the blockading countries and Qatar under the umbrella of the GCC in the security fields, which itself vindicates Qatar from the accusation of its detractors that Qatar is supporting terrorism.
In fact Qatar is at the forefront in the fight against terrorism. As Al Khater pointed out, Qatar has participated in the two meeting of the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center in March and May last year. The statements issued at the conclusion of these meetings praised the role of Qatar in fighting terrorism and its financing. This is a proof of the double standards being pursued by the blockading countries accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism and at the same time praising its role in fighting the menace.
Due to the lack of mechanism to settle the internal Gulf differences, the Gulf crisis is being considered by the International Court of Justice, the World Trade Organisation and human rights organisations in Geneva, a fact which points to the failure of the Gulf bloc.
The prolonging Gulf crisis carries grave risks to the fabric of the Gulf society, which were warned by the High Commissioner for Human Rights after monitoring the growing rhetoric of hatred against Qatar by the media in the blockading countries. If the crisis drags on, it will trigger the emergence of a new generation in the Gulf region that is mobilised against its neighbours harbouring hatred and it will eventually leads to the destruction of the comity of the Gulf.
It is high time that the blockading countries took heed of Qatar’s stance and sit around the negotiating table, putting aside petty politics, to find a solution to the imbroglio, into which they took a plunge without realising that it would be difficult to get out.
