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Gulf committee readies report on rift with Qatar | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah smiles during the 23rd EU–GCC Council and Ministerial Meeting in Manama, Bahrain, on June 30, 2013. (Reuters/Hamad Mohammed)


Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah smiles during the 23rd EU–GCC Council and Ministerial Meeting in Manama, Bahrain, on June 30, 2013. (Reuters/Hamad Mohammed)

Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah smiles during the 23rd EU–GCC Council and Ministerial Meeting in Manama, Bahrain, on June 30, 2013. (Reuters/Hamad Mohammed)

Riyadh and Kuwait City, Asharq Al-Awsat—A committee from member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is to hold a meeting this week on Qatar’s adherence to a deal to end the diplomatic dispute between the emirate and its neighbors.

An informed source, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that following the meeting a final report will be sent to the regular meeting of the GCC foreign ministers in September, which will either announce the end of the dispute with Qatar, or demand further action if it is decided that the agreement was violated.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar in March, claiming that recent Qatari policy amounted to interference in their affairs. A statement issued by the three states said the move followed “the failure of all efforts to persuade Doha of the necessity to adhere to the principles which guarantee mutual respect, and avoid interference in the internal affairs of other GCC states, directly or indirectly.”

A meeting designed to patch up the dispute in Riyadh in April resulted in an agreement declaring that Qatar’s policies “should not affect the interests, security or stability of any other member state and without affecting the sovereignty of any of its [the GCC’s] states.” A committee was also set up to monitor efforts to comply with the agreement.

As reported in Asharq Al-Awsat, Qatar announced last week that it would no longer grant citizenship to nationals of other Gulf states, and has also attempted to reconcile its position on events in Egypt with those of its neighbors, a major source of tension.

The four states also differ over the approach to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Saudi Arabia, a decision backed by the UAE and Bahrain.

Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah, speaking by phone to Asharq Al-Awsat, declined to comment on the matter, and said only that Qatar sought good relations with its neighbors.