Manama’s Supreme Defence Council, led by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, convened on Wednesday and declared a need “to end regional conflicts and disputes by peaceful means”, according to the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
The Ministers of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait…
32 | the publication reaches you by | Bahrain NewsIn June 2017, Saudi Arabia – along with its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt – cut off diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air embargo on the Gulf state, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and having ties with Iran that were deemed too close.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – comprised of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar – is expected to meet on January 5 in Saudi Arabia.
The softened rhetoric surrounding the three-year dispute comes amid Riyadh-led efforts to resolve the crisis.
Earlier this month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said a resolution was in sight, with the four governments behind the blockade “on board” and a final agreement expected soon.
Egypt and the UAE have since given their public support to the negotiations, although diplomatic sources said the UAE has been reluctant to compromise.
Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said on Wednesday there were no political obstacles to resolving the Gulf crisis.
Speaking during a news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, the Qatari foreign minister insisted that the dispute be resolved by dialogue, respect of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.
“We will all emerge victorious from the crisis if we rebuild confidence in the GCC as a regional institution,” he said, adding that talks to resolve the crisis were with Saudi Arabia which represented the blockading quartet.
Qatar had a longstanding territorial dispute with Bahrain that was only resolved by the International Court of Justice in 2001.
Last month, two Bahraini boats breached Qatari territorial waters, Doha’s interior ministry claimed in a statement, a rare incident in the continuing Gulf crisis.
Bahrain insisted however that the two vessels, part of its coastguard fleet, had been wrongfully intercepted.
On Sunday, Manama accused Doha of confiscating 47 Bahraini fishing boats, but stressed during a cabinet meeting the next day “the importance of direct bilateral negotiations with Qatar to reach a lasting agreement” on fishing activities, according to the BNA.
ONE of the largest jewellery retailers, Malabar Gold and Diamonds, has launched a special collection of diamond and…
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The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are the seven Arab states which border the Persian Gulf, namely Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).This excludes the non-Arab state of Iran. All of these nations except Iraq are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
