By Ramazan Turgut
RIYAD, Saudi Arabia (AA, The Musilm News, Agencies): Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have joined Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar, adding fuel to a diplomatic dispute in the Gulf region.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were the first to sever all diplomatic ties with Qatar, citing national security concerns.
The countries have blocked Qatar from their airspace and requested that all Qatari diplomats leave within 48 hours.
In a Foreign Ministry statement, Saudi Arabia accused Doha of sheltering and backing terrorist groups, promoting terrorist groups in the media, and supporting Houthi militia in Yemen.
Cairo blamed the Qatari government for “hostile attitudes,” sheltering the Muslim Brotherhood on its soil, and backing terror groups threatening the country’s national security.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry accused the Qatari government of destabilizing the country’s security and stability and interfering in its affairs.
Qatar has “spread chaos in Bahrain in flagrant violation of all agreements and covenants and principles of international law without regard to values, the law, or morals or consideration of the principles of good neighborliness or commitment to the constants of Gulf relations, and in denial of all previous commitments,” it said.
Qatari citizens have 14 days to leave Bahraini territories. Bahrain also recalled its diplomats from Qatar, it added.
Last month the website of Qatar’s official news agency was allegedly hacked by unknown individuals who reportedly published statements falsely attributed to its emir, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani.
Saudi Press Agency, SPA, sadi: “(Qatar) embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at disturbing stability in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda, and promotes the message and schemes of these groups through their media constantly.”
The three Gulf states announced the closure of transport ties with Qatar and gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries. Qatar was also expelled from a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
The decision comes after Qatar alleged in late May that it was the victim of a sophisticated propaganda assault including the publication of a series of articles hostile to Qatar in the US and the hacking of the Qatar government website in a bid to undermine its standing in the Gulf and in Washington.
The hacking of the website led to the publication of false remarks by the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, that purportedly had him criticising some leaders of fellow Gulf Arab states and calling for an easing of tensions with Iran. Qatar claimed there was “a hostile media campaign against the State of Qatar”.
In response to the alleged comments by the emir, Saudi Arabia and the UAE both blocked Qatari-based news outlets, including Al Jazeera, from broadcasting in their territory.
These were more severe measures than during a previous eight-month rift in 2014, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE withdrew their ambassadors from Doha. At that time, travel links were maintained and Qataris were not expelled.
The incident triggered a diplomatic row between Qatar and its neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
[Map of Gulf Cooperation Council. By SpLoT at en.wikipedia public domain]