Saudi FM Jubeir on future of Gulf rift: ‘The matter is up to Qatar’

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir affirmed that the kingdom supports the position of US President Donald Trump on Iran, saying that the nuclear agreement contains several shortcomings.

This came during his participation on Tuesday in a panel discussion organized by the British Royal Institute for International Affairs (Chatham House) on "the future turbulence in the world."

Asked about the latest developments in the Qatar crisis and the lack of commitment of Doha to implement the demands of countries calling for the fight against terrorism, Jubeir said the matter is up to Qatar.

“We reject terrorism and extremism and harboring the wanted. We refuse to publish discourses of incitement and hatred and interfere in the affairs of other countries. We do not accept that suicide bombings are justified in the media by extremist religious figures hosted by Qatar,” he said.

He added, "Qatar's boycott resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the United States of America to combat the financing of terrorism, and the Qatari authorities allowed officials of the US Treasury Department to be in Qatari banks, in addition to Qatar's amendments to the regulations on combating terrorism, pointing out that these steps were rejected by the Qatari authorities before the boycott.

In his speech during the conference, he said that Tehran's policy of supporting terrorism is not acceptable at all, and its consequences will be dire. The new sanctions would be welcome, he said, stressing that the international community must support these sanctions in order to send a strong message to Iran that its conduct and its shameful activities have consequences.

Regarding Iraq, the Foreign Minister said that the relations between the Kingdom and Iraq are historic and the two countries have social, economic and geographical ties. He said that the establishment of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council will contribute to enhancing bilateral relations and supporting the security and stability of Iraq and the region.

He added that the interest of the Kingdom in Iraq is a reflection of its desire to restore Iraq's advancement away from ethnic and sectarian conflicts, for a unified, stable and secure Iraq, contrary to what Iran seeks to try to control Iraq, as an extension of its expansion plans.

source: Alarabiya