Military action was never an option in Arab rift with Qatar: Gargash

CAIRO – 8 September 2017: Anwar Gargash, UAE state minister for foreign affairs, affirmed that military action was never an option in the Arab rift with Qatar, blaming Qatari regime for promoting such allegations, through several tweets on his official Twitter account on Friday.

The Emirati minister said that Arab coalition, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and UAE, has asserted since day one that their conflict with Doha is diplomatic and legitimate, because it concerns the sovereignty of the four countries.

Gargash’s comments follows the joint conference of Emir of Kuwait Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump, where he announced that Kuwait’s mediation saved Qatar from military intervene. He also declared Doha’s readiness to negotiate.

“Doha’s panic and its fragile stance are behind the military option allegations,” Gargash said in a tweet on Friday, denying the comments of Emir Jaber. He affirmed that the 13 demands of Arab coalition is the foundation of any negotiation with the Gulf state.

“The mistrust in Qatar and its harmful policy led to the current diplomatic rift, and statements of Emir of Kuwait, however the reading, confirmed it,” Gargash said, thanking Emir Jaber for his mediation efforts.

Gargash expressed his worries that Doha may eliminate Sheikh Jaber’s efforts by its multiple sources of decision making, hesitation and regression, advising Doha to be wise and not to miss the chance to reach a solution.

It has been three months since the Qatari crisis in the Middle East broke out, where Qatar was faced with the four Arab countries, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, cutting all diplomatic ties with Doha, amid allegations that Qatar is funding and supporting terrorism.