Arab nations including Saudi Arabia and Egypt on Monday cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.
Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives joined Saudi Arabia and Egypt in severing relations with gas-rich Qatar, with Riyadh accusing Doha of supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, “that aim to destabilise the region”.
Qatar reacted with fury, denying any support for extremists and accusing its Gulf neighbours of seeking to put the country under “guardianship”.
The crisis was likely to have wide-ranging consequences, not just for Qatar and its citizens but around the Middle East and for Western interests.
Qatar hosts the largest US airbase in the region, which is crucial to operations against Islamic State group jihadists, and is set to host the 2022 football World Cup.
Monday’s announcement came less than a month after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia to cement ties with Riyadh and called for a united front among Muslim countries against extremism.
It also followed weeks of rising tensions between Doha and its neighbours, including Qatari accusations of a concerted media campaign against it and the alleged hacking of the Qatar News Agency.
‘Baseless claims’
The Gulf states and Egypt said they were severing diplomatic ties and closing transport links with Qatar, which relies on imports from its neighbours.
The Gulf states banned their citizens from travelling to Qatar and ordered Qatari citizens to leave within 14 days.
Saudi Arabia also closed its borders with Qatar, effectively blocking food and other supplies exported by land to Qatar.
Local media in Qatar reported there was already some panic buying as people stock up on food.
The Qatar Stock Exchange tumbled eight percent on opening and eventually closed down 7.58 percent.
Riyadh said in a statement its measures were the result of “gross violations committed by authorities in Qatar”, accusing Doha of harbouring “terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to destabilise the region including the Muslim Brotherhood, Daesh (IS) and Al-Qaeda”.
Gulf states have for years accused Qatar of supporting extremist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s oldest Islamist organisation.
Flights cancelled
Economic consequences were already emerging, with UAE carriers Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia, as well as Saudi Airlines, announcing the suspension of all flights to and from Qatar as of Tuesday morning.
Qatar Airways, one of the region’s busiest airlines, said it had suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia with immediate effect, at least until the end of Monday.
The Saudi-led coalition battling Iran-backed rebels in Yemen said it had expelled Qatar from the group.
The coalition accused Qatar of providing “support to (terrorist) organisations in Yemen,” the first time it has made such a claim.
source: AFP
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