Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt issued a joint statement on Qatar’s response to the list of demands that the boycotting countries had made.

:: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt issued on Friday a joint statement on Qatar’s response to the list of demands that the boycotting countries had made.

The statement was issued after receiving the four countries recieved Qatar’s response from Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabber al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait.

The following is the text of the statement:

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt affirm that the obstinately of the Qatari government and their rejection to the demands made by the four States reflect the extent to which they are linked to terrorist organizations and their continuous effort to sabotage and undermine security and stability in the Gulf and the region and to harm the interests of the peoples of the region, including the Qatari people.

The four countries stress that the Qatari government has thwarted all diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, which confirms its intransigence and its rejection to any settlement, reflecting its intention to continue its policy aimed at destabilizing the security of the region.

The four countries also extend their thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabber al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, for his efforts to resolve the crisis with the Qatari government.

The four countries also disapprove of the lack of tact and respect for the diplomatic principles expressed by the Qatari government towards the Kuwaiti efforts in leaking the list of demands, in order to thwart the efforts of the State of Kuwait and to return the crisis to the starting point in a clear disregard for all diplomatic norms that require respect for the role of the mediator, and an official response in the context of conventional diplomatic channels, not through the media.

The four states assert that the justified demands that were made were the result of the hostile Qatari government practices, and their continued transgression, particularly in regard to the Riyadh Agreement signed by Qatar in 2013, the Supplementary Agreement and its Executive Mechanism in 2014.

The four countries express their deep surprise over the unjustified refusal of the Qatari government to the list of legitimate and logical demands aimed at fighting terrorism, preventing its embrace and financing, combating extremism in all its forms for the sake of world peace, and safeguarding Arab and international security.

The Quartet confirms their commitment to the contents of Article 12 of the list, which states that: “All requests shall be approved within ten days from the date of their submission; otherwise they shall be null and void.

All political, economic and legal measures shall be taken in the form they deem appropriate in a manner that preserves their rights, security and stability and protects their interests from the hostile policy of the Qatari Government.

The four countries also emphasize that the Qatari people are an integral part of the Gulf and Arab system.

The measures taken by the four countries are directed at the Qatari government to correct its course, which seeks to break up the GCC system and Arab and international security, destabilize the countries of the region and interfere in their affairs, which is in flagrant violation of the sovereign rights guaranteed by international law in accordance with the Statute of the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Charter of Council of the Arab League, the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of relations between States through their interference in the internal affairs of states to destabilize its security and stability, with the aim of spreading chaos and destruction, undermining its internal security, supporting and funding regional and international organizations such as terrorist entities in violation of the international law dictated by the need to cooperate closely in the fight against terrorism, the implementation of the relevant regional and international conventions, the outcomes of the American Islamic Summit in Riyadh attended by 55 Islamic countries including the United States of America represented by President Donald Trump, and the presence and consent of all countries to the outcomes of the historic summit, including the Government of Qatar.”