German FM: Qatar must stop funding terrorism

CAIRO – 4 July 2017: The diplomatic stand-off in the Gulf region between Qatar and its neighbors gives the entire region an opportunity to move together to step up its fight against terrorism financing, Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

In a press conference with his United Arab Emirates counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that there were plenty of ways to prevent a further escalation of tensions in the region.

"I think it is premature to talk about extra sanctions ... this depends on what we will hear from our brothers in Kuwait," Sheikh Abdullah said.

Gabriel agreed with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah that Qatar has to stop funding terrorism and hosting extremists.

German's foreign minister arrived in Abu Dhabi late Monday night, where he was received by UAE Minister of State Sultan Al-Jabeir.

Gabriel arrived in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening coming from Jeddah, where he met with Saudi foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir.