Qatar crisis could last longer: FM

Manama : Foreign Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has said that the current crisis with Qatar could continue for another decade if no “actual solution” is attained.

“Defending our interests shouldn’t be connected with a time frame even if the crisis lasted for ten years”, the minister told Russia Today TV during an interview on Thursday, adding: “What is important is finding a real solution.”

Shaikh Khalid also said that the anti-terror quartet is keen to preserve the Gulf Cooperation Council and he hoped that the crisis will be dealt with before the GCC Summit to be held in Kuwait.

“The crisis lasted for over 100 days but the causes of the crisis have been there for several years before. We have been tolerant for a long period of time in regards to the Qatari behaviours. Agreements have been signed but Doha didn’t respect them. We haven’t asked anyone to surrender, threatened them or blockaded them as Qatar claims. But we have shut the doors on the face of the Qatari evil doings. We’re still ready to discuss with Qatar, within the framework of demands we have set to end the crisis,” Shaikh Khalid said in the interview. He also noted the US role in the region and its stances towards the ongoing crisis, in addition to the Kuwaiti efforts to solve the issue. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 8 over the latter’s support to terrorism in the region, meddling in domestic affairs of countries, sheltering wanted individuals and attempting to overthrow the Gulf regimes.