DOHA: Qatar announced that it is forming a committee to pursue compensation for damages stemming from its isolation by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain, who cut diplomatic ties and severed air, land, and sea links with natural gas-rich region last month. Qatari public prosecutor Ali Al-Marri said that the committee would handle claims made by private companies, public institutions and individuals.
He said the body would use both domestic and international mechanisms to seek compensation, and would hire overseas law firms to handle its claims. “You have people who have sustained damages, businessmen who have sustained damages, banks which have sustained damages. As a result of this blockade. And those who compelled these damages to happen, must pay compensation for them,” Al-Marri said.
The four Arab nations accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism and allying with regional foe Iran. Foreign ministers of the countries met in Cairo last week and were expected to consider further sanctions at the gathering, however, no new measures were announced. They had recently given Qatar a deadline to meet 13 demands placed by them and received no response from the country as it continues to deny all allegations placed against it. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, “The response the four states got was overall negative and lacked any content. We find it did not provide a basis for Qatar to retreat from its policies.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir addressed a news conference saying, “The political and economic boycott will continue until Qatar changes its policies for the better.” The four leaders said they will next meet in the Manama, capital of Bahrain, but refrained from giving a set date.
The inter-Arab rift has aroused deep disquiet among Western allies who regard the region's ruling dynasties as essential partners in energy and defence. The Arab countries have demanded Qatar curtail its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shut down the pan-Arab Al Jazeera satellite TV channel, close a Turkish military base and downgrade its relations with regional arch-rival Iran. Jubeir said he hoped Turkey would remain neutral in the dispute.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke with US President Donald Trump by telephone about the Qatar dispute, Sisi's office said. “The visions of the two presidents on dealing with current regional crises were in line, especially when it comes to reaching political settlements which contribute to regional security and stability,” Sisi's office said.
The Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, told a session of London's Chatham House think-tank that Doha was continuing to call for dialogue to settle the row. “(This is) despite the separation of 12,000 families, despite the siege that is a clear aggression and an insult to all international treaties, bodies and jurisdictions,” he said.
