Jubeir hopes Qatar’s response would be positive

Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH - Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has said that boycotting Gulf and Arab countries hope that Qatar’s response to their demands would be positive.

“The aim of the measures taken against Qatar is to change its policies that harm it, the countries of the region and other nations of the world,” Jubeir told a press conference along with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel at his office in Jeddah on Monday.

“We look forward to receiving this response and studying it carefully, and then taking the appropriate steps towards it,” Jubeir added.

The foreign minister said that he agreed with his German counterpart on the importance of stopping the support and financing of terrorist groups across the world, as well as stopping Qatar’s incitement of extremism through its media channels and Doha’s interference in the internal affairs of neighboring countries.

Jubeir said his meeting with Gabriel was constructive and fruitful. “Saudi Arabia and three other boycotting countries hope that Qatar’s response to our demands would be positive so as to resolve the crisis. The German foreign minister also shared our keenness to build better relations with Qatar,” he said.

Asked by a reporter whether he found a difference in Germany’s stance since the beginning of the crisis with Qatar, Jubeir said: “Actually from the beginning of the crisis we found no change in Germany’s stance. They stand with us on the same principles that the supporting of terrorism must stop.”

Jubeir confirmed that most of what was demanded from Qatar was already included in the list of requests agreed in the 2013 and 2014 Riyadh agreements signed by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, adding that it was agreed to extend the deadline granted to Qatar at the request of the Kuwaiti mediators.

On his part, Gabriel said the stand-off between Qatar and its Arab neighbors would best be resolved by an agreement across the region to prevent the financing of terrorism.

“An agreement on ending any kind of support for terrorist or extremist organizations would be the best solution to the crisis. We all know that this support is not organized by states, but often by private persons, but we must somehow succeed in ending support in the region for extremist and terrorist organizations.”

He vowed support to Kuwait’s mediation efforts to restore the good relations between the Gulf neighbors so as to maintain the region’s stability.