Bahraini delegation refutes Qatari FM allegations to UNHRC

CAIRO- 28 Feb 2019: The delegations of the four countries supporting the fight against terrorism (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt) in Geneva delivered a right of reply statement to the allegations made by the Qatari Foreign Minister during his address in the high-level segment of the 40th session of The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) currently held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The statement, which was delivered by the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ambassador Dr. Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, on behalf of the Arab Quartet, reiterated that the boycotting measures taken against Qatar by the Arab Quartet is part of their sovereign rights and in order to protect their national security from the reckless policies of Qatar that aim to destabilise security and stability in the region. He also affirmed that it is not considered a blockade as claimed by Qatar.

Dr. Bucheeri affirmed that the four countries have clarified on more than one occasion that the "boycott" measures they have taken were to protect their security and peoples, and will reach an end once the Qatari government stops supporting and funding terrorism, and responds to the concerns of the four countries which have been repeatedly set forth by its leaders, in a clear framework of the need to respond to and comply with the 13 demands, and in accordance with the (6) principles of the framework to resolve the crisis with Qatar, in order to maintain stability in the region.

The Ambassador also reiterated the commitment of the four countries and their readiness to cooperate effectively with the Kuwaiti mediation, led by His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Shaikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to end this political crisis, away from Qatar’s persistent attempts to internationalise and remove it from the regional framework in which it originated. As the four countries regard these desperate attempts as prolonging the political crisis without reaching tangible understandings that guarantee the security and stability of the countries concerned.