Qatar crisis should be solved within GCC framework: Al-Jubeir

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir. (File photo)

JEDDAH: The crisis with Qatar should be solved within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said on Friday.
At a joint press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano in Rome, Al-Jubeir said he explained to Alfano the measures taken by the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ) — comprising Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt — against Doha “due to Qatari support and financing of terrorism, harboring terrorists, incitement, spreading hatred and interfering in other countries’ internal affairs.”
Al-Jubeir added: “We provided our Qatari brothers with a set of demands… We hope wisdom in Qatar will prevail and respond positively to these demands so we can put an end to this page... We will wait for the desired change to occur.”
He continued: “There should be no tolerance for extremism and terrorism. We must find solutions to these problems, noting that there are many other things in the region that we should be interested in. We are determined to continue to see the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and develop our economy and standard of living. Dealing with terrorism and extremism complicates this process.”
There is an “agreement to work with our partners and allies in Italy to defeat this scourge.”
Al-Jubeir said it pained the ATQ to take measures against Doha, and the aim is not to harm Qatar.
On relations with Iran, he said Tehran interferes in countries’ internal affairs, ignites sectarianism, cultivates terrorist cells in Gulf countries, violates international agreements regarding ballistic missiles, dispatches its Revolutionary Guards to Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and smuggles weapons and explosives to Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen to undermine regional stability.
“We have a party indulged in aggressive behavior since 1979, and other parties received this aggressive behavior,” Al-Jubeir said.
“This is related to Iran’s pursuit of control of the region, which we will not allow to happen.”
On the Middle East peace process, Al-Jubeir said everyone knows what the settlement should be: Two states for two peoples, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
“We must push the parties in this direction, with the hope that wisdom prevails and that people can pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque without interference,” he added.
He said he exchanged views with Alfano on terrorism, extremism and the regional situation in general.
Al-Jubeir added that they also reviewed and seek to expend bilateral relations in various fields such as trade, investment, education and political consultation.
Alfano described the talks with Al-Jubeir as positive, stressing the existence of many opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties, and commending the Kingdom’s importance as a trade partner.