Qatar has taken half a step forward but two steps back, says UAE minister

Dubai: UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash has commented on the ongoing crisis with Qatar on Monday.

“A foreign guest asked me about the developments of the Qatar crisis, and I replied: Half a step forward and two steps back. The problem is that Qatar’s worst enemy is Qatar,” he tweeted.

His comments come weeks after the annual GCC Summit where Qatar’s Emir did not attend despite being invited by Saudi Arabia.

There was intial hope ahead of the summit that Gulf leaders could use the forum to start mending ties after a years-long rift.

The US-allied bloc has felt the fallout from a dispute that erupted more than two years ago pitting Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt against Qatar.

In June 2017, the quartet cut off diplomatic and transportation links with Qatar over its support for extremist groups.

The four countries have repeatedly demanded Doha to comply with a set of conditions to end the standoff.

The demands include Qatar’s severance of links with militant and terror groups, scaling down ties with Iran and shutting down Al Jazeera TV, seen as a mouthpiece of the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

Following the summit, the UAE has accused the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar of launching a targeted campaign against the UAE and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed.