Sanctions expected against Qatar for refusing Arab demands

CAIRO – 3 July 2017: Number of sanctions have been expected to be applied on Qatar due to its refusal to accept the 13-demands list issued by Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia governments including suspending Doha's membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

In an article published by Saudi - newspaper Okaz, Editor-in-Chief assistant Fahien Al-Hamed listed number of expected sanctions to be adopted by the four governments in case "Qatar continued its stubbornness."

"More economic and trade sanctions will be adopted against Qatar, its membership in GCC will be suspended, Doha will be isolated from its Arab and Islamic surroundings, and finally the four Arab countries trade partners will have to choose between working with them and Doha," Hamed listed his expectations in the article.

He said that Qatar seems to refuse any opportunity of reconciliation and does not want its relations back with the Gulf states.

Earlier, Moreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zaid said on Monday that the Egyptian stance regarding the Qatari dispute and the demands issued to Doha's government is "clear."

He added that Egypt has suffered many casualties and losses because Qatar continues to interfere in its internal polices and issues. "We are waiting for the formal response regarding the 13 demands list," he said.

"All options are on the table regarding Qatar," Saudi ambassador to Sudan Ali Hassan Jaffar stated on Monday. "We will do what's appropriate towards what threatens our security and stability. All options are one the table. We hope Qatar don't force us to adopt other options," he added.

On Sunday, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that he will hand Kuwaiti Emir Sabah bin Ahmed Al-Sabah Doha’s response to the Arab countries’ demands within hours.

From his side, Sheikh Sabah asked the 4 countries to extend the deadline given to Doha for 48 hours, which was approved by the governments of Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia shortly later.

Qatar’s relations with several Arab and Gulf States have been strained since May 24, when the Qatari state-run news agency reported Sheikh Tamim bin Hammad Al-Thani’s statements regarding Gulf foreign policy with Iran, as “unwise.”

On June 5, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Libya and Yemen decided to cut all diplomatic ties with Qatar, hurling allegations the state supports terrorism. Ports and airspace were cut off to Qatari vessels.

On June 6, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Ahmad Al-Sabah started a tour that included Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar in an attempt to mediate between the three countries.