Qatari royal slams Doha rulers in speech from Paris

CAIRO – 18 September 2017: Qatari royal Sheikh Sultan bin Suhaim Al Thani, a son of the first-ever foreign affairs minister of Doha, criticized the intransigent position of Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in a Monday speech.

“Our role today is solidarity to cleanse our land and continue to develop,” bin Suhaim said in the speech aired by Sky News Arabia in move that signals potential split within the House of Al Thani.

Bin Suhaim’s uncle, Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, was forcibly deposed by Sheikh Tamim’s father in 1995.

He said he has been residing in Paris since Qatar’s crisis with its neighbors in the Gulf in June because he did not bear staying under the power of “colonizers.”

Turkish and Iranian forces have reportedly been deployed in Qatar to secure vital areas since the outbreak of the disagreements with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Sitting in front of a picture of his father, Suhaim bin Hamad Al Thani, the young bin Suhaim also expressed his concerns that Qatari citizens would be linked to terrorism, emphasizing that Arabs should unite against forces of terror.