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Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt snap ties with Qatar

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Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt snap ties with Qatar

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The move comes as a major shock in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has also accused Qatar of supporting terrorists

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday and announced the withdrawal of their diplomatic staff from Doha within the next 48 hours. Qatari forces will also be pulled out of the ongoing Saudi Arabia-led war against Yemen.

Riyadh has closed border, air and sea traffic with Qatar, urging “all brotherly countries and companies to do the same”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry accused Qatar of taking an “antagonist approach” towards Egypt and said “all attempts to stop it from supporting terrorist groups failed”. Cairo announced the closure of its airspace and ports for all Qatari transportation “to protect its national security”.

Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain gave two weeks to Qatari visitors and residents to leave their countries. This will effectively cut off Qatar from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula.

Kuwait and Oman, considered closer to Iran, have not yet followed the Saudi diktat on Qatar. All these countries are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is yet to come up with its decision on Qatar’s continued membership of the council.

According to statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency, Riyadh took the decision to cut diplomatic ties due to Qatar’s “embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilizing the region” including the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and groups supported by Iran in the kingdom’s restive eastern province of Qatif.

Shias in the eastern region have been demanding their religious and political rights where Riyadh has accelerated demolition of some Shia neighbourhoods. A large number of casualties and fatalities were recently reported from the region. A revered Shia leader, Sheikh Baqar al Nimr, was executed in January 2016.

Etihad Airways, the UAE’s flag carrier, said it would suspend flights to and from Qatar beginning Tuesday morning.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry also issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic staff from Qatari capital Doha within 48 hours and all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

The fast changing developments were witnessed after the recent visit of US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia where he addressed heads of 55 Muslim states. According to Al Jazeera, the Doha-based TV channel, Qatari Foreign Ministry regretted the measures by the Arab nations calling the decision “unjustified.” The Foreign Ministry statement said that “the measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact.”  However it said that the decisions would “not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents”.

Criticising Saudi Arabia’s big brotherly behaviour Qatar said “the aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its (Qatar’s) sovereignty as a state,” it added.

The dispute between Qatar and Gulf Arab countries was escalated after a recent hacking of Qatar News Agency when it falsely attributed a statement to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani expressing support to Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel. It had also reportedly suggested that US President Donald Trump may not last in office.

Qatar’s government, however, categorically denied the comments were ever made. On Wednesday, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was quoted as saying “there are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyber attack. (The hackers) will be prosecuted according to law.”

Meanwhile, on May 27, Qatar’s Emir called Iranian President Hasan Rouhani to congratulate him on his re-election. Qatar shares a massive offshore gas field with Iran. Saudi Arabia sees Iran as its enemy number one and a threat to regional stability.

Moreover, the Saudi-supported Yemen’s government headed by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi also announced cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of working with its enemies in the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, state news agency Saba reported. Hadi and his cabinet colleagues mostly stay in Riyadh and Yemen is virtually ruled by Al-Houthis headed by Abdul Malik al-Houthi. Saudi Arabia blames Iran of supporting them.

Senior Iranian official Hamid Aboutalebi, the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that the measures by the Arab nations would not help end the crisis in the Middle East.  “The era of cutting diplomatic ties and closing borders … is not a way to resolve crisis … As I said before, aggression and occupation will have no result but instability.”  He was referring to the Saudi-led coalition’s involvement in Yemen.

Qatar is home to the sprawling al-Udaid Air Base which hosts the US military’s Central Command and some 10,000 American troops. Bahrain, one of the countries severing ties with Qatar, hosts the US Navy’s 5th fleet.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is currently visiting Australia, said he did not believe the diplomatic crisis would affect the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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US reiterates its call for fair, transparent, legal process for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, speaks on Congress frozen accounts

The US spokesperson said that they are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections.

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A day after India summoned an US diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US reiterated its call for fair, transparent, timely legal processes on Wednesday.

Responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they will continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Notably, the meeting at the foreign ministry’s South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.

Matthew Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party’s frozen bank accounts. The US spokesperson said that they are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections. He added that the US encourages fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of the issues.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to the Delhi liquor policy scam. Earlier, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh were arrested in the same case.

The External Affairs Ministry had earlier stated that states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies, adding that it could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents.

The Ministry further emphasized that India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. It mentioned that casting aspersions on India’s legal procedure is unwarranted.

The United State’s remarks followed days after Germany’s Foreign Office stressed that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. The Indian government labelled their remark as blatant interference in internal matters.

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5 Chinese nationals killed in suicide bomb attack in Pakistan

This is the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan within a week.

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Nearly five Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion during an attack on their convoy by a suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday. Reportedly, the suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers travelling from Islamabad to their camp in Dasu, situated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Regional police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur said that five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. As yet, none has claimed responsibility for the attack. Bisham Station House Officer (SHO) Bakht Zahir asserted that the incident was a suicide blast and the authorities concerned were collecting the evidence.

The Station House Officer further added that security arrangements were tightened at the spot and the bodies were being shifted to a hospital. He added that they will investigate from where and how the vehicle of a suicide bomber came and how it happened. Notably, this is the third major attack on Chinese interests in Pakistan within a week.

Previously, two attacks hit an airbase and a strategic port in the southwest province of Balochistan where China is investing billions in infrastructure projects. Several Chinese engineers and Pakistani construction workers have for multiple years been working on hydroelectric projects as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative in the western province of Khyber-Paktunkhwa.

Notably, Dasu is home to a significant dam project, has been a target of previous attacks. Earlier in 2021, the attack in Dasu resulted in the deaths of nine Chinese nationals, along with two Pakistani children. The incident occured when a bus carrying Chinese engineers and workers to the Dasu Hydropower Project site was targeted.

There was confusion surrounding the nature of the attack initially, with some reports suggesting it was a bus accident. Nonetheless, subsequent investigations revealed that it was indeed a terrorist attack. The bus was hit by a blast, leading it to plunge into a ravine.

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US bridge collapses after being hit by ship

The rescuers were searching for at least 7 people in the water. Some reports said upto 20 construction workers were there on the Baltimore Bridge at the time of the incident. A video of the incident which was widely shared on social media showed the moment the 3 km long bridge collapsed.

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Major portions of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, US collapsed on early Tuesday morning after it was hit by a large container ship. The incident occurred at nearly 1.30 am (US local time). The Baltimore City Fire department said the collapse is a mass casualty incident.

According to reports many vehicles fell into the river below. The rescuers were searching for at least 7 people in the water. Some reports said upto 20 construction workers were there on the Baltimore Bridge at the time of the incident. A video of the incident which was widely shared on social media showed the moment the 3 km long bridge collapsed.

It seems the vessel had hit one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the roadway to break apart in many places and plunge into the water. The ship caught fire and appeared to sink. Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, the registered owner of the ship, and the manager, Synergy Marine Group, said it is a Singapore flagged ship Dali which collided with a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.

He said the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined; the Dali has now mobilized its qualified individual Incident response service. It added that all crew members, including the 2 pilots who were aboard, have been accounted for and there are no reports of injuries.

The local traffic police said all lanes on both directions of the bridge have been closed and the traffic is being de-toured. Maryland Governor Wes Moore also declared a state of emergency after the collapse of the bridge. The bridge was opened in 1977, spans the Patapsco River, a vital artery that along with the Port of Baltimore is a hub for shipping on the East Coast. It is named after the writer of the Star Spangled Banner.  

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