Sort Out Your Problem With Gulf Neighbors, UN Tells Qatar

The UN Security Council Monday told Qatar to sort out its differences with its Gulf neighbors, according to China’s ambassador, indicating the top UN body would not get involved in the dispute.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi, who holds the council presidency this month, said “the best way would be (that) the countries concerned work out a solution through dialogue and through consultations among themselves, because we don’t see any other alternative to that.”

“Whatever the countries can do to mend the fences and to get back to good neighbourly relations, that would certainly be welcomed by China,” said Liu.

Qatari Foreign Minister Shaikh Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani met with Security Council members on Friday to discuss the rupture in ties with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with Qatar and later put forward a list of 13 demands.

They accuse Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia’s regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing Al Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Shaikh Mohammad had earlier said the list of demands was “made to be rejected” and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as “an affront to international law.”