Qatar accuses Saudis of reckless behaviour as Arab row enters second year

By Reuters
June 06, 2018

DUBAI/DOHA: Qatar accused Saudi Arabia of “reckless behaviour” that is tearing apart a pro-Western Gulf bloc in the wake of a report that Riyadh threatened military action against Doha in a stand-off between regional powers.

The Qatari foreign minister said the threat — reported to have been made in a letter from the Saudi king to France warning over a Russian arms deal with Doha — aims to further destabilise the region after Riyadh and its allies imposed a political and economic boycott on tiny Qatar a year ago. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt accuse Doha of supporting terrorism - charges which it denies. The dispute has evaded mediation efforts by Washingon which has strong alliances with both sides and fears the split among Sunni Muslim US allies could benefit Shi´ite Muslim Iran. France´s Le Monde reported on Saturday that Saudi King Salman sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron warning the kingdom could act militarily if Doha goes ahead with a deal to buy Russian S-400 missile air defence systems. “There is no serious military threat out of this (letter), but the way it is being used to justify or to create a disturbance in the region is just unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the English-language channel of Qatar-based Al Jazeera. “Aren´t they aware that the region has lost the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the last united bloc in the Arab region,” he said. Doha is seeking confirmation from the French government about the letter, the minister said in the interview aired on Tuesday. He stressed Qatar´s sovereign right to independently decide on its defence procurements. A European diplmat confirmed the letter had been sent to France as well as to the United States and Britain. French and Saudi state communications offices have not responded to requests for comment. A Qatari official has been quoted as saying it was in talks to buy Russian S-400 missile air defence systems.