Saudi Gazette report

THE four anti-terror Arab states have termed Qatar’s rejection of their demands as a diabolical and disrespecting effort at obscuring Doha’s support for terrorism.

In a joint statement issued early Friday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt affirmed that obstinacy of the Qatari government and its rejection of the demands made by the four states reflect the extent to which it is linked to terrorist organizations and its continuous effort to sabotage and undermine security and stability in the Gulf and region and to harm the interests of the peoples of the region, including the Qatari people.

The statement was issued after the four countries received Qatar’s response from Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad.

Meanwhile, UAE Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted on Friday that Qatar’s acting as a victim will not obscure its support for terrorism, reported Al Arabiya.

The solution for Qatar crisis is not in New York or Washington but in Riyadh, he added.

Gargash said there were “conspiracies that were woven, tapes that were spread and bloodshed that was spilled that cannot be ignored.”

The following is the text of statement issued by the anti-terror Quartet:

“Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt affirm that the obstinacy of the Qatari government and their rejection to the demands made by the four states reflect the extent to which they are linked to terrorist organizations and their continuous effort to sabotage and undermine security and stability in the Gulf and the region and to harm the interests of the peoples of the region, including the Qatari people.

The four countries stress that the Qatari government has thwarted all diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, which confirms its intransigence and is rejection to any settlement, reflecting its intention to continue its policy aimed at destabilizing the security of the region.

The four countries also extend their thanks and appreciation to Sheikh Sabah for his efforts to resolve the crisis with the Qatari government .

The four countries also disapprove of the lack of tact and respect for the diplomatic principles expressed by the Qatari government toward the kuwaiti efforts in leaking the list of demands, in order to thwart its efforts and to return the crisis to the starting point in a clear disregard to all diplomatic norms that require respect for the role of the mediator, and an official response in the context of conventional diplomatic channels, not through the media.

The four states assert that the justified demands that were made were the result of the hostile Qatari government practices, and their continued transgression, particularly in regard to the Riyadh Agreement signed by Qatari in 2013, the Supplementary Agreement and its Executive Mechanism in 2014.

The four countries express their deep surprise over the unjustified refusal of the Qatari government to the list of legitimate and logical demands aimed at fighting terrorism, preventing in embrace and financing, combating extremism in all its forms for the sake of world peace, and safeguarding Arab and international security,

The Quartet confirms its commitment to the contents of Article 12 of the list, which states that. “All requests shall be approved within ten days from the date of their submission; otherwise they shall be null and void.

All political, economic and legal measures shall be taken in the form they deem appropriate in a manner that preserves their rights, security and stability and protects their interests from the hostile policy of the Qatari government.

The four countries also emphasize that the Qatari people are an integral part of the Gulf and Arab system.”