Qatar’s ruler hopes Gulf row will end for sake of region
Dispute with Saudi Arabia and its allies has harmed Arab bloc security, says Qatar emir
Qatar’s ruler voiced hope on Tuesday that the country’s bitter dispute with Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies would pass, saying it had harmed regional security by weakening a Gulf Arab bloc. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut transport and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and their foe Iran. Doha denies the charges and says the boycott aims to undermine its sovereignty. “History teaches us that crises pass, but if they are handled badly then this may leave traces which last for a long time,” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said in a speech to the country’s consultative Shoura council. “It is very regrettable that the continuation of the Gulf crisis exposed the failure of the Gulf Cooperation Council ... which has weakened its ability to face challenges and threats and marginalised its role in the region,” he said, urging the bloc to adopt dispute resolution mechanisms. The US, an ally of the six-nation Sunni Musl...
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