Bahraini FM: ongoing dispute with Qatar 'unprecedented, very deep'
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al
Khalifa described the ongoing dispute with Qatar as "unprecedented and
very deep," stressing that Doha "has burned the return ships."
"I do not know how Qatar will return. It has
committed to the enemies of the region, such as Iran, and separated itself from
the GCC. We are realistic in dealing with this issue and we don’t want to waste
more time," he was quoted by Al Arabiya news channel as saying.
The Bahraini minister said Qatar was the least to
commit to the Gulf Cooperation Council agreements.
"What I see is that Qatar has burned all the
return ships, and no longer has any ship that could bring it back to the
Council… Once Qatar commits to carrying out the demands, we will have another
opinion," he added.
As for Qatar’s participation in the upcoming Gulf
Summit, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Sheikh Khalid ruled out
the possibility to freeze the ongoing dispute during the meeting, "because
the issue cannot be solved only by warm salutations."
As for the conditions set by the Arab quartet
boycotting Qatar (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt), Sheikh Khalid
said: "The conditions are the same and we will not give up on them because
they are based on international law, international principles and the
principles of good neighborliness and respect."
The upcoming GCC meeting would discuss strategic
military cooperation among GCC States and other issues of mutual concern, he
concluded.
