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Gargash: ‘Siege’ Concept Does Not Consist with Open Ports, Large Fleet of Aircraft | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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United Arab Emirates’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash attends a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Riyadh, March 12, 2015. Reuters


Dubai- UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash criticized Monday the Qatari interpretation of the Arab boycott of the country as being a “siege.”

He said that Qatar’s promotion of its political crisis as a siege of the Gulf state is the country’s way of turning the case into a human rights issue, noting that Qatar’s interpretation of a siege “is not consistent with open ports and an airport with a large fleet of aircraft.”

He described the decision by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain as a sovereign action which was in response to Doha’s support of extremism and terrorist groups.

Gargash said that Qatar has to address its problem with countries in the region by reviewing its policy, noting that the core problem is Doha’s support for extremism and terrorism.

He added that the crux of the problem is Qatar’s backing of terrorist movements and a long history of targeting the stability of its neighbors.

In a series of tweets, Gargash said that turning the Qatar political crisis into a human rights issue evades the root of the problem.

Gargash said in previous statements that measures taken by the UAE and other nations against Qatar are aimed at pressuring Doha into changing its policies, not at overthrowing its regime.