GCC Weekly News Roundup—July 7, 2017

UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (c) talks to Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (r) as their Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir (l) stands by, during a joint press conference after their meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo on July 5, 2017.  KHALED ELFIQI/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt Promise New Actions Against Qatar After Doha Responds “Negatively” to List of Demands

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt said in a joint statement July 6 that Qatar’s rejection of their list of 13 demands is proof of Qatar’s ties to terrorism, sabotage of diplomacy, and sabotage of regional security and stability. They said they would take new, unspecified actions against Qatar that would be aimed at its government, not its people. The four countries also said that their list of 13 demands is now void. Following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the previously noted four countries, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry described Qatar’s response to the list of demands as “negative.” The foreign ministers will meet in Manama, Bahrain at a later unspecified date to discuss the issue further. Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said of the demands: “They are shutting free speech, shutting the media outlets, expelling people…So there are a lot of demands which are against the international law.” On July 4, in preparation for long-term sanctions, the head of Qatar Petroleum said it would increase gas production.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mattis Praises U.S.-Qatar Cooperation

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis on July 6 spoke on the phone with his Qatari counterpart, Khaled bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah. According to a Pentagon statement, the two “affirmed their commitment to continued U.S.-Qatar cooperation and deepening their strategic partnership.”

U.N. Speaks Out Against Calls to Shutter Al Jazeera

Rupert Colville, spokesman for U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, on June 30 described the demand that Qatar close down Al Jazeera—one of 13 original demands made of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE—as “an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion.” He added, “To insist that such channels be shut down is extraordinary, unprecedented, and clearly unreasonable.”

Qatar May Bring WTO Case Against Boycotting Countries

Charging that the “blockade” against Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates is against World Trade Organization (WTO) laws, the director of Qatar’s WTO office, Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, said on June 29, “We are exploring all possible legal avenues, including, but not limited to, the [WTO] Dispute Settlement Body.” If Qatar does bring a case before the WTO, the result won’t be determined for years. The same day, Qatar’s National Human Rights Commission announced it was hiring the Swiss law firm Lalive to bring lawsuits against the four countries boycotting Qatar to seek compensation for Qataris affected by the boycott.

Qatar Says Boycotting States Responsible for News Agency Hack, Not Russia

On June 28, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that the FBI had finished its investigation into the April hack of Qatar’s state news agency and concluded that, contrary to initial reports, Russian hackers were not responsible. Hackers on May 24 published a false story purportedly from Qatar’s leader, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, with comments supportive of Iran, Israel and Hezbollah. That story helped start the current feud. The foreign minister also charged that some of the countries currently boycotting Qatar were behind the hack, saying that Qatar is continuing to investigate and build its case.

More Turkish Soldiers Arrive in Qatar

On June 30, a third group of Turkish soldiers arrived in Qatar to participate in joint exercises between the two countries. Türkiye’s parliament voted to station troops at its base in Qatar earlier in June.

Qatar Petroleum Taking “Legal Actions” Against Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.

Qatar Petroleum (QP) announced it would take “legal actions” against Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc) after Adnoc invoked force majeure in its contract to stop shipments of condensate, a light oil liquid, from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates. At a July 4 news conference, QP CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said, “We are the ones who should be calling force majeure, because we have the restrictions, not them. They have enforced force majeure on that contract illegally in our view, and we are taking legal actions on that.” An Adnoc official denied that force majeure was being imposed on Qatari cargo. “Force majeure is a legal status protecting a party from liability if it can’t fulfill a contract for reasons beyond its control,” a Bloomberg article explained.

Yemeni President Fires Governors of Three Provinces

On June 29, Yemeni President Abd Raboo Mansour al-Hadi fired the governors of Hadramaut, Shabwa, and Socotra governorates for supporting the southern secessionist movement. Al-Hadi also fired the governor of Aden for the same reason. Aden’s governor last April created the Southern Transition Council to encourage southern secession.

Yemen’s Cholera Outbreak Slowing, but Still Spreading

On July 1, Nevio Zagaria, the World Health Organization’s representative in Yemen, said that the death toll from the most recent outbreak of cholera in Yemen is now at 1,500. Approximately 246,000 cases have been reported as of June 30. Two months into the outbreak, an international emergency response has caused the spread of the disease to begin to abate.

                                                                                    —Compiled by Alex Shanahan