Saudi Arabia ‘has evidence of Qatari meddling’

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has documentary evidence proving that Qatari officials have plotted to destabilise the country, a Gulf diplomat told an Egyptian journalist.

The editor in chief of the Egyptian newspaper Al Shurooq said on Egypt’s Al Tahreer TV that Saudi Arabia has credible documentary evidence proving that Qatar’s security services encouraged former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to assassinate Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz when he was crown prince. The editor in chief, Emad Al Deen Hussain, cited a “Gulf diplomatic source who attended Arab foreign ministers’ meetings”.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on March 5 in protest of what they said was Doha’s refusal to stop interference in their affairs.

The revelation comes as a Gulf diplomat, in an interview with Gulf News, warned that Qatar faces “total isolation” from Gulf states if it continues to try to destabilise regional governments and does not stop supporting regional parties that are seen as contributing to regional instability.

Saudi Arabia has called on Qatar to sever relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and stop sheltering its figures, sever links to Al Houthi rebels in Yemen, and close down two think tanks seen as hostile to the Gulf states. Qatar has so far refused the demands.

It is not clear if the documentary evidence that Saudi Arabia reportedly holds has been presented to Qatar yet. Qatar has insisted that Saudi Arabia back its charges against it with evidence.

The Gulf diplomat told Gulf News that the Gulf spat has affected the agenda for US President Barack Obama’s upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, where he was initially scheduled to meet all six heads of state from the Gulf Cooperation Council. He will now only meet Saudi King Abdullah.

Al Shurooq’s Hussain said that Saudi Arabia is now studying implementing “phase 2” of diplomatic action against Qatar for its continued defiance of its neighbours.

Regional media has speculated that the airspace of the three countries as well as Qatar’s only land border with Saudi Arabia. Qatar imports the vast majority of its food, much of it via the border with Saudi Arabia.