Saudi foreign minister says Gulf states alone can solve Qatar row
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Wednesday Gulf states could resolve a row with Qatar amongst themselves without outside help.
“We have not asked for mediation, we believe this issue can be dealt with among the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council,” he told a news conference with his German counterpart in Berlin broadcast on Saudi state television.
He said he had not been officially informed of any U.S. investigation into the alleged hacking of Qatar’s news agency, a development which is part of the dispute.
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“With regard to measures undertaken by the FBI, I’ve read in the media but have not been informed of anything official and I can’t express an official position,” Jubeir told reporters.
Qatar is in talks with Iran and Turkey to secure food and water supplies amid concerns of possible shortages two days after its biggest suppliers, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, cut trade and diplomatic ties with the import-dependent country.
“We are in talks with Turkey and Iran and other countries,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, adding that the supplies would be brought in through Qatar Airways cargo flights.
The official said there were enough grain supplies in the market in Qatar to last four weeks and that the government also had large strategic food reserves in Doha.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday urged all sides to avoid further escalating the crisis gripping the Gulf, warning that disagreements among Gulf states could weaken the U.S.-led coalition’s fight against Islamic State.
“We all – and that is also the view of my Saudi counterpart – are interested in avoiding any further escalation, because the region is already facing great tensions and challenges,” Gabriel said after a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
Gabriel told reoprters it was imperative that all members of the coalition fighting Islamic State banned any government or private financing of terrorist organisations.
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Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain on Monday said they would sever all ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and Iran.
Asked about the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump in the Middle East, Gabriel said Germany did not support a policy of “pure confrontation” against Iran.
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