Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to India, Saud Al-Sati, explained to THE WEEK why his country and its partners would continue to be tough with Qatar. Excerpts from an interview:
Why this sudden flare-up in relations with Qatar? How does it impact the unity of Gulf Cooperation Council and its vision?
It was not a sudden decision. We severed diplomatic ties with Qatar to protect our security, and for the stability of the region. Saudi Arabia’s policy of zero-tolerance towards terror has been supported by eight Islamic countries which have suspended relations with Qatar because of its support to terrorist groups such as Hizbullah, Muslim Brotherhood and Houthi militias.
Saudi Arabia and other countries affected by terrorism have been telling Qatar since 2012 to stop aiding and giving base to terror groups. Qatar assured through signed, handwritten agreements in 2013 and 2014 that it would end all support to terrorism, but it has been duplicitous since then. Our patience ended when yet again the promise was broken, after the anti-terror summit in Riyadh in May this year.
This story is from the July 30, 2017 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the July 30, 2017 edition of THE WEEK.
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