Arab quartet refutes Qatari allegations at Human Rights Council

Geneva: Obaid Salem Al Zaabi, Permanent Representative of the UAE at the United Nations, in Geneva, said Qatar should stop its ‘irresponsible policies’ aimed to destabilise security and stability in the region.

He made the observations in a statement delivered on Tuesday on behalf of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, before the UN Human Rights Council, as part of the right of reply to allegations made by Qatar in a statement during the 39th regular session of the council in regards to a briefing of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Al Zaabi’s statement read: “Mr President, The Qatari statement, as usual — tried today to drag the UN mechanisms into a political crisis whose main trigger is the Qatari practices and policies against our states.

We reaffirm that the boycotting measures taken by the quartet against the Qatari regime fall within the context of exercising their sovereign rights to protect their national security from Qatari irresponsible policies which aimed to destabilise security and stability in our states. These measure are not a blockade in any way as Doha claimed.

“The quartet has repeatedly affirmed these measures, which aim to protect our security and peoples, will be lifted once the Qatari government stops supporting and funding terrorism and responds to our concerns that were repeatedly announced by our leaders for the sake of protecting stability in the region. The Qatari side must show a sign of good faith to open a responsible dialogue with our states under Kuwaiti mediation.

— WAM