Resolving the Gulf Crisis: Challenges and Prospects – Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani
Arab Center Washington DC
June 29, 2017
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Khalil, for your kind introduction and special thanks to the board of directors and staff of the Arab Center Washington D.C., for your kind invitation, for sponsoring this event and providing me this opportunity to address such a distinguished audience. It is a great pleasure to revisit Washington D.C. and to meet with public officials, opinion makers, business leaders and our many American friends at this critical time.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Qatar marked a unique path for itself among Arab states, spearheading efforts for nonviolent resolutions to regional and global conflicts. The Qatari approach has helped to bring about the integration of movements that had previously faced complete exclusion from the political process. Other states have looked suspiciously at Qatar's willingness to broker dialogue between the Sudanese regime and the armed groups, or the two major competing camps in Lebanon. They have refused to accept the fact that Qatar can hold its commitments to international alliances, including the United States and other Western powers; while building the rapport necessary for its mediatory role. Qatar's willingness to play this role has made possible the difficult but essential role of international dialogue. Qatar is much more than a mediator on the world stage or political platform, but rather a humanitarian partner seeking to replace weapons with pens and desperation with hope. It is a State and society devoted to addressing the human capital and infrastructure needs of its citizens and residents alike. It is the success in these fields that attests to internationally agreed standards of human development which takes up the greatest attention of Qatari policymakers and against which they should be judged.
As you all know, our region is experiencing some serious political turbulences which are affecting the national interests of all countries in the region, and the national interest of the United States. It is a consequence of the strong alliance that binds our respective countries and the strategic value of the region towards stability and security. As reported in the media, I held an important meeting on Tuesday afternoon with U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson to discuss the current crisis in the Gulf and to explore the prospects of political solutions to the conflict. The people and government of Qatar are grateful to Secretary Tillerson for his invaluable efforts on behalf of the American government to assist all parties in the Arabian Gulf to overcome their differences and restore normality to political, social and economic life in the region.
The State of Qatar has been committed to bringing an end to the current crisis from its very inception. We have stated consistently and unequivocally that Qatar is willing to sit down with its neighbors to discuss all issues pertaining to regional security and stability; so long as these demands do not infringe on our independence and national sovereignty. I have more thoughts to share with you about the meeting, but I would like to spend a few minutes discussing the background briefly of the Gulf Crisis.
Twenty-four days have passed since the unilateral measures were imposed against the State of Qatar. 12,000 of human rights violations were filed, thousands of families and friends separated during the Holy month of Ramadan, wives from their husbands, mothers from their children and thousands of journalists and civilians silenced through arbitrary measures. As proven by the FBI, on May 24 the Qatar News Agency was hacked and attributed fabricated statements to His Highness the Emir about Qatar's relations with Iran, Israel, Hamas and the United States. We immediately denied the false statements.
As all of you are aware, on June 5th the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced their decision to sever diplomatic and trade relations and to close their borders and airspace with the State of Qatar. We were surprised, and frankly, shocked by these measures and considered them unwarranted and unjustified. As the 2014 arbitrary mechanism outlined in the GCC Agreement was never invoked; these hostile actions were based on unsubstantiated claims and false assumptions, and evidence is yet to be presented.
First, the false news, then the allegations followed by a list of grievances and finally an ultimatum. Qatar was immediately subjected to a preplanned campaign of disinformation based on complete fabrication aimed at undermining our national sovereignty and interfering with our internal affairs as an independent state. Qatar, as widely known, is a founding member of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf; the Gulf Cooperation Council. We have been fully committed to the GCC Charter and have always respected the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of our fellow member states. Qatar prides itself on having fulfilled all its commitments to the GCC, on having defended GCC interests and advanced the GCC economic, social and political agenda. Qatar's role in the liberation of Kuwait and, more recently, protecting the Saudi borders in the ongoing war in Yemen provides substantial evidence of the unshakable commitment to the GCC Charter.
The same applies to Qatar's global record in combating terrorism and preventing the financing of terrorist groups. We acknowledge the obstacles and challenges that Qatar faces in countering terrorism. However, this challenge is not unique to Qatar. It is a phenomenon that has plagued our region, and we seek to collectively counter-terrorism through bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
As a member of the Middle East and North Africa Task Force, Qatar has taken significant and substantive steps to prevent the transfer of funds through domestic or foreign charities to any organization named on the United Nations list of designated terrorist organizations. Our efforts in this regard have been consistently acknowledged and praised by the U.S. State Department and the Treasury Department. Our record in preventing the financing of terrorist organizations speaks for itself, and we are ready to compare our record with the records of any of the blockading countries.
In parallel to implementing legislative changes to prevent funding of terrorist activities, it is worthy to note that the State of Qatar implements a countering violent extremism strategy through a development based approach, which includes reconstruction, education and economic empowerment. Whether it is done by supporting multi-billion dollar funds towards rebuilding Gaza or Darfur, or by providing quality education to seven million out of school children in forty-two countries, including thousands of Syrian refugees and impoverished children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternatively, by providing job opportunities and economic empowerment to three hundred thousand Arab youth; including thousands of opportunities for the youth in Tunisia and Egypt. Qatar's ongoing efforts have benefited the millions of people vulnerable to violent extremism and terrorism, which in turn has reduced the global risk of terrorism.
After almost three weeks of the inhumane siege, on June 25th, 2017 the blockading countries' long-awaited list was presented to the State of Kuwait to our government. As all of you are aware, the list contains numerous demands ranging from curbing our diplomatic ties with Iran to demands that we sever ties with alleged terrorists, shut down free media, terminate military alliances, amend our citizenship and immigration laws to exclude the nationals of various countries, and pay reparation for fictional crimes. On top of this, Qatar is expected to submit to a period of probation while outside countries monitor our compliance with these unreasonable demands. The response of Qatar has been purposely measured, yet unequivocal. We are willing to negotiate any legitimate grievances with our neighbors, but we will not compromise our national sovereignty. Secretary Tillerson himself acknowledged the demands issued by the blockading countries would be very difficult to meet. The German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, stated that the demands were very provocative, as some items challenge our sovereignty. This ultimatum, ladies, and gentlemen is not a list of demands or requests, but rather an apparent effort to undermine our foreign policy and national sovereignty. As one of our neighboring countries mentioned: "this list is not negotiable."
Let me make a few remarks about my meeting on Tuesday with Secretary Tillerson. The meeting was excellent and constructive. I briefed the Secretary about the latest developments in the crisis and the impacts of the siege on Qatar. We did exchange views about the list of demands that were made by the blockading countries, which was submitted to my government by our brothers in Kuwait who have graciously continued their mediation efforts to resolve this crisis. Both Qatar and the United States agreed, in our meeting, on the urgency to peruse a political solution to this crisis, but discussing the allegations made at Qatar reasonably and straightforwardly. I emphasized, to the Secretary, that suggestions by certain parties that their demands are not negotiable are not helpful. Serious and lasting solutions to this or any other issues require negotiation within a clear framework in accordance with international law. Nonnegotiable ultimatums are obstacles to fair and just solutions to our differences.
The GCC is the last source of stability in the region. We cannot afford another conflict in the region. A siege is a clear act of aggression on state sovereignty and a clear violation of international laws and regulations. The hostility towards Qatar raised many questions, particularly, as statements made by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt were contradictory; accusing Qatar of supporting opposing parties and groups. Hence, the accusations directed at Qatar are baseless. If there were clear, tangible requests from our neighboring countries, we have the right to respond through dialogue and not through an illegal siege. Secretary Tillerson has repeatedly emphasized that the demands of the blockading countries must be actionable and reasonable. The government of Qatar fully agrees that this would be the best framework for diffusing the current crisis and reaching an appropriate formula to solve it.
I want to conclude with a quote from His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar's first speech in 2013, "Qatar is connected to the Arab states, foremost of which the Gulf states with whom we seek the highest level of integration. Within this framework, Qatar is committed to its responsibilities towards Arab cooperation within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League and their institutions. Qatar respects the sovereignty and integrity of all Arab lands."
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your attention.
Questions & Answers:
Question: Adam, ABC News. You have said you are dealing directly with the State Department and Secretary Tillerson to address this crisis, but we have heard a different message from the White House. President Trump said you couldn't help terrorists, and weeks ago he blasted Qatar for sponsoring terror. What do you make of these different messages from the same administration?
HE Foreign Minister: Thank you, Adam. We have been asked this question quite a lot. I think that we made it clear that usually the State of Qatar's government deals with different government agencies here in the United States and they are fully aware of the progress Qatar is making and they appreciate the relationship. I think this has been stated previously by the State Department and by the Department of Defense. Regarding the President's statements or tweets, the reference in the tweet is that he heard this from leaders. We believe that these leaders are the leaders of the blockading countries. I think the President is getting more information from his own agencies and can verify that Qatar is not supporting terrorism. We believe that the United States is very engaged in putting an end to this situation.
Question: Munthir Sulaiman, Al-Mayadin Channel. When, in your judgment, will the United States' role move to being that of a mediator and sponsor instead of that of a facilitator?
HE Foreign Minister: We appreciate the role the Emir of Kuwait is playing among the conflicting parties within the GCC. As the conflicting members and Qatar are members of the GCC, the mediation process needs typically to be led by a country from the region, who has a better understanding of the complexity of the problem. The role of the United States is required because all the conflicting countries are their allies. The United States is playing a very active role in supporting the Emir of Kuwait's efforts, and they are actively engaged in mediating and facilitating between the conflicting parties.
Question: Paul Shankman, U.S. News World. What does Qatar expect from the United States? Are you willing to use the airbase as a bargaining chip?
HE Foreign Minister: We don't need to use a bargaining chip with the United States. I believe that we have a long and strong history between Qatar and the United States in terms of strong ties and strategic relationships. Al-Udeid Airbase is a clear manifestation of the strength of the relationship. We host, at the airbase, around 11,000 U.S. soldiers, that both countries appreciate. It has made significant efforts in the Global Coalition for Countering Daesh. I believe it's crucial to the region that Al-Udeid Airbase is active enough and involved in these efforts.
Question: Toni Callister, President of World Affairs Council D.C. Why is there a demand from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the closure of Al-Jazeera?
HE Foreign Minister: I think you have to ask them this question. Al-Jazeera was the first prominent media outlet in the region. It set a precedent in the GCC and the Arab world for Arab media. We believe that Al-Jazeera is playing a role in the region and is the voice of hundreds of millions in the region. We believe in the importance of Al-Jazeera and its independence. If Al-Jazeera is to be closed down, the decision will come from inside Qatar and not dictated from outside Qatar.
Question: Hakkan Bokur, from the Anadolu Agency of Turkey. Turkey has decisively been supportive of Qatar since the beginning of the crisis. How do you evaluate Turkeys stance on the Gulf Crisis?
HE Foreign Minister: Qatar and Turkey have always had a long and strong relationship. Turkey has a similar relationship with the rest of the Gulf nations. Their position to support Qatar does not undermine their relationship with the other Gulf countries. They are urging the parties to engage in dialogue, and we believe this was the position of all of our allies; to deescalate, engage in dialogue and have a constructive engagement between the parties to solve the crisis. Turkey has been supporting Qatar's supply chain because of the blockade, and we are we thankful and grateful for this support.
Question: Mohammed Al-Shennawi, Voice of America. Do you see any other role for the United States with the continued escalation from the four countries blockading Qatar? What is the next role for the United States, in addition to the negotiations or the mediation of Kuwait?
HE Foreign Minister: The United States' role is crucial in this situation as all conflicting parties are their allies. We believe that we are basing our relationship on mutual respect between the countries and the United States. We don't see any other solution except for political one; where we sit around the table and discuss the grievances each country has. Therefore, we urge the United States to continue its role and engagement in facilitating this and exercising pressure on the parties to engage in dialogue.
Question: Al-Jazeera Arabic. What do you expect the next step will be when the ten-day deadline, set by Saudi, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt, expires?
HE Foreign Minister: the grievances will be invalid. This is the answer we have. They have written these demands based on their assumptions. We still believe that submitting such lists of demands is just jumping to conclusions that their grievances have been proved or supported with evidence. We believe that any negotiations needs to start with the proper framework for discussions and the submissions of evidence and proof of their credibility, and then building a process in order to overcome any of these challenges. However, submitting demands with ultimatums and a validity date is an exercise that has set a precedent for us in the region and probably in the world.
Question: Deidra from BBC. Why do you think the President decided to side with the Saudi camp even though your country has been a host for the U.S. military base?
HE Foreign Minister: As mentioned, we believe that the primary source of information between the United States and its own allies are government agencies that interact with each other. The President's position was taken based on listening to other leaders, so I think that further engagement across the agencies will give better insights to the President on the nature of the relationship between the United States and Qatar.
Question: Your Excellency, did you meet with Jared Kushner on this trip?
HE Foreign Minister: No, I didn't.
Question: Mohammed Ghanim, Syrian American Council. How has the crisis in the Gulf impacted the efforts to end the war in Syria?
HE Foreign Minister: I can speak on Qatar's position on this. We always build our policies based on our principles and values not based on crises. Our policy towards Syria remains the same. We see that this crisis is a dramatic humanitarian crisis taking place in Syria and should end very soon with a just solution. The perpetrators of war crimes should be held accountable for the crimes they have committed. I think the Syrian people deserve to be protected by the international community, and we will continue our efforts in urging world international players to provide this protection to the Syrian people.
Question: Phyllis Bennis, IPS. If Qatar is genuinely committed to a nonmilitary solution why not sent home the 11,000 troops in Qatar and return the $12 billion worth of new U.S. arms?
HE Foreign Minister: Actually, the 11,00 are not serving Qatar; they are serving the region, and the center of command is there. I'm not sure if you are aware that the different installations that represent the main contributions to the Coalition Against Daesh where operations run from Qatar.
Question: James from Al-Jazeera English. Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir, said that Qatar demands are non-negotiable. What happens if they don't back down from this stance?
HE Foreign Minister: We usually understand that when there are negotiations or a list of claims that they should be subject to negotiation. Imposing demands that are non-negotiable, this is an issue of sovereignty and disrespecting the international law and world order. We believe in the international law that governs the relationships between countries and that there is a framework agreed upon by the international community that is used when there is any conflict. I don't believe the use of terminologies of demands and non-negotiable is a civilized way to engage in ways to solve a crisis.
Question: James from Al-Jazeera. Is there a risk to the GCC itself as a result of this crisis?
HE Foreign Minister: We need to think about the Riyadh Summit when it took place it united the region for a common objective of fighting terrorism and defeating it. It was agreed upon by the GCC, the United States, and other Arab Muslim countries. Suddenly, two days after that we a diversion from this target to another target which is Qatar, that is a part of the GCC organization. Despite all the challenges around us in this region, they focused on a country that is active in the efforts of countering terrorism, trying to undermine the sovereignty of this country, and undermine the security and stability of the region. We believe that this raises a big question mark surrounding the future of the GCC because the GCC was meant to be a framework for regional security from any external threat. Those countries have engaged in this organization in order to provide security and stability of any of the country whose security might be compromised by an external threat. When the threat is coming from within the GCC, there are suspicions about the sustainability of this organization. Therefore, we believe that even if this crisis is to end soon, which is what we hope for, that we have a long lasting solution that will ensure the safety and stability of the GCC and ensure the safety and security of our people. We don't want to have an agreement or framework that is developed to govern this relationship in the future, which will give a chance to another country to act similarly.
Question: Derek Davison. Can you tell us a little bit about the investigation into the QNA hack and any evidence as to who was behind it?
HE Foreign Minister: I don't have that much information about the details of the investigation. The information we have was presented by our attorney general in a press conference. There is sufficient evidence that there are some parties and countries who are involved in the blockade are involved in the hacking crime against our news agency. The FBI has participated in the investigation, and the NCA from the United Kingdom and both agencies have verified that the news agency was hacked days before the 24th of May and implanted the malware on the news agency's server, which shows this was a planned operation.
Question: David, Wilson Center. Saudis accuse Qatar of failing to carry out the 2014 agreement. What was Qatar supposed to do under that agreement?
HE Foreign Minister: I think this is a baseless accusation because they have violated the Riyadh Agreement. Riyadh Agreement has an arbitration mechanism, which I mentioned in my speech if there are any grievances they should be discussed within this mechanism, and they never invoked these articles. We have been surprised by all these measures taken against Qatar without any direct interaction when we were in Riyadh during the summit, or even at the ministerial council. There are no violations of the Riyadh Agreement coming from Qatar's side. We see that those three countries have violated the Riyadh Agreement, and didn't pay any attention to any of its articles.
Question: Ehsan Taroor, Washington Post. What do you make of the blockading's countries' objections to Al-Jazeera?
HE Foreign Minister: I think they are sometimes unhappy with the news that Al-Jazeera broadcasts. We have insured everyone before that Al-Jazeera acts independently and a professional media network. If they have any problems with them, we are willing to facilitate for them to engage directly with Al-Jazeera. Al-Jazeera's professionality will not be compromised by any complaints. Al-Jazeera is needed in the region to broadcast reality and truth to the people. Hundreds of millions in the Arab region follow Al-Jazeera because of their credibility.
Question: Atlantic Council. The Saudis seem to be focusing on isolating Iran, but they seem to be in practice accomplishing the opposite. What is the status of Qatar's relation with Iran?
HE Foreign Minister: Qatar has always been very straightforward about its position with Iran. Iran is our neighbor, and we have to have a constructive and positive relationship with them, and this cannot be done without engaging with them. We are doing all these things within the GCC framework, which was a decision taken by the leaders of the GCC to engage with Iran in dialogue based on principles conveyed to the Iranian authorities. There is an exchange of frameworks proposed between the GCC and Iran where Kuwait acts as the lead in these efforts. So we believe the countries in the GCC have positive relations with Iran. When it comes to Qatar, we have always based on our relations on mutual respect and noninterference in other countries' internal affairs. We have borders with Iran, and we have a shared gas field, so we have to have a relationship with them. If they are accusing us of being closer to Iran; then we need to note that Qatar ranked number five among the Gulf countries in terms of bilateral trade with Iran. 96% of bilateral trade between the GCC and Iran comes through the United Arab Emirates. Even if we are going to increase our cooperation or bilateral trade with Iran to become the second of the third-ranked among GCC countries, it's far from that of the Emirates. Second, we believe that they are exaggerating about cutting off ties with Iran or not to be closer to Iran by doing all this to Qatar. The measures imposed against Qatar were never imposed against Iran, so we don't know if this is a rational reason for them to take all these steps and measures.
Regarding Qatar's intentions with Iran, we always want to have a constructive and positive relationship with all countries, and we will continue our engagement. We are now under a blockade and don't have access via air, except through Iran, our access from the sea is also from Iran or Oman or Kuwait. We have limited access and have to do whatever it takes to ensure the normal course of life for our people, and our supply chains are not interrupted by these measures.
Question: Mister Minister, you had some meetings on Capitol Hill this week, and I'm sure you've met with Senator Corker. Do you believe his decision to block arms sales to GCC states is helpful in resolving this issue?
HE Foreign Minister: We believe that any decision that exercises pressure among the countries will be helpful, because they need to be pushed to deal with this matter seriously and not keep a country under blockade and spend time preparing a list of demands after the State Department's statement claiming to be mystified by the conflict in the region. The decision taken by the senator is highly appreciated and should contribute to pushing this process further.
Question: Emily Tompkins, Foreign Policy. The Saudi Foreign Minister said on Tuesday that Qatar would remain isolated if demands are not met. How do you respond to that?
HE Foreign Minister: There are two aspects to this crisis; one being political and the other is the legal aspect. Qatar is pursuing its legal actions with the relevant international organizations. We are not asking anyone to do us any favors; we are asking that the laws should be implemented on the countries who took illegal actions against the State of Qatar. If they intend to isolate Qatar by blockading the country and shopping around different countries in Africa or elsewhere to cut off relations with Qatar; this reflects the attitude of their actions. Qatar is not isolated. It is part of the international community, and what they are imposing is a blockade and not isolation. Isolation is usually done to countries who have been proven wrong. Qatar has been the most progressive country in that region, and we have many allies and friends that keep us away from isolation. Qatar has been a trustworthy partner to several countries, including the United States, and we believe in these relationships. We are going to pursue our way of taking legal actions to lift this illegal blockade against us.
Question: Can Your Excellency define the objectives of Qatar's foreign policy as the Foreign Minister of the country, and how do you implement them?
HE Foreign Minister: Allow me to summarize it for you in a few words. Qatar has always followed an open door policy. Usually, the adversaries can come and meet in Qatar, where we offer access for these adversaries to come and meet. The driver of our foreign policy is to keep engaging with everyone and to keep the chance and opportunity for dialogue to end and find a solution a valid and viable option; especially for our allies. When you have a trustworthy partner who has access to the adversaries, I think, it is an advantage. When we engage with others and different adversaries, it doesn't mean we endorse their ideas or ideologies. We have been doing this now for two decades. We used to have the Israeli trade office and the Hamas political office, we have Taliban representation and the largest American base in the region. Qatar is just facilitating and providing the platform for adversaries and opponents to gather and engage in solving their problems. Many problems take decades or centuries sometimes, and none of them have been resolved on the battlefield; they were solved around the table of negotiations. If Qatar can be a force for good, security and stability in the region why don't we take advantage of this? Second, our policy is typically driven by the fair and just demands of the people. We cannot say that we are going to remain neutral when it comes to a people versus brutal regime or people versus dictatorships. When some people start to think about Qatar's policy as having been changed from a mediator to taking part, it isn't so. The policy remains as it is. When we took part in the Arab Spring, it was because it was the desire of the people. They were peacefully uprising against brutal governments and dictatorships, and those governments and dictatorships are who militarized the peaceful uprisings and turned it into a civil war. When we choose sides in such an event, I think we chose the right side of the people. Yes, we took the side of the people in the Syrian crisis, and in Libya against government bombing their people, but at the same time, we were mediating between conflicting parties. Our efforts between Eretria and Djibouti, at that time, were ongoing. Our efforts in Afghanistan, Somalia and everywhere are still ongoing. Wherever we find that Qatar can contribute positively to the security and stability of the world; we will never hesitate to participate. We have a lot of international partners who partner with us in our efforts. We have a visible and transparent process in implementing these efforts. I think this summarizes our policy, that is indicated in our constitution that was voted for by the people, that Qatar's policy is to preserve the sovereignty and independence of the State of Qatar and do not accept interference in the affairs of any other country. These are the fundamental values and principles that we believe in.