(Newswire.net — July 6, 2017) — Qatar has said it is impossible to meet the demands, which the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has set to this smallest, but richest country in the Persian Gulf.
A 13-point list of demands was issued on June 22, giving Qatar 10 days to comply. The list was “made to be rejected,” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said during his visit to Rome, Reuters reported.
One of the demands impossible to meet was to shut down state-sponsored news network Al Jazeera and close a Turkish military base, the latter of which has aggravated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That is why Qatar enjoys strong support of Turkey, the most powerful NATO country in the region.
Qatar also hosts the largest US military base in the region and has declared itself as an US ally, but Doha is accused of not only tolerating, but encouraging private funding of terrorist organizations, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and former Iraq Al Qaida group AQI, today known as ISIS.
Trying to find reasons behind Qatar’s royal family’s support to terrorism, an article published in the New Republic explained that it is just a continuation of a bad decision made by former Qatari ruler and the incumbent emir’s father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and his foreign minister and prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani.
With a population of 250,000 and abundant energy resources, Qatar is the wealthiest country in the region by GDP per capita. However, it has hardly any influence. According to the New Republic, the Qatar’s former ruler idea was to gain influence by supporting radical Islamists in the region, the Muslim Brotherhood. The country also reportedly supported HAMAS, a militant Palestinian organization, and also Al Qaida.
After Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani abdicated in favor of his son, the family tradition continued, including fundraising for ISIS. After US military interventions in Iraq and Syria, the situation in the region has changed and instead of gaining influence, Qatar has lost credibility and is now facing isolation.
“We believe that the world is governed by international laws that don’t allow big countries to bully small countries,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a news conference, AP wrote. “No one has the right to issue to a sovereign country an ultimatum,” he insisted.
Only days after US President Donald Trump had visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar was handed a list of demands that looked more like a punishment for its wrong policy than a way to solve problems.
Qatar claims it is ready to face any consequence, including a military confrontation. Despite its small territory, Qatar possess a solid military, one of the strongest in the region, and also has powerful allies – Turkey and Iran which promised air and sea support in case of isolation.
In a joint statement, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they would respond “in a timely manner,” but did not specify steps they intend to take.