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Gulf ambassadors pulled from Qatar | Gulf ambassadors pulled from Qatar |
(35 minutes later) | |
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE have withdrawn their ambassadors from Qatar amid accusations that it has meddled in internal affairs. | |
The three countries, who are all part of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) along with Qatar, made the joint statement on Wednesday. | |
The statement claims that Qatar failed to commit to an agreement it signed three months ago in Riyadh. | The statement claims that Qatar failed to commit to an agreement it signed three months ago in Riyadh. |
Tensions between Qatar and the rest of the GCC have increased in recent years. | Tensions between Qatar and the rest of the GCC have increased in recent years. |
The joint statement said that during a meeting on Monday in Riyadh, the three countries had made "major efforts to convince Qatar" to implement a 2013 GCC agreement on joint security. | |
"With the greatest regret" Qatar had failed to comply, the statement said, without going into specifics. | "With the greatest regret" Qatar had failed to comply, the statement said, without going into specifics. |
The recall of the ambassadors was therefore necessary to ensure "security and stability". | The recall of the ambassadors was therefore necessary to ensure "security and stability". |
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have been calling for increased military and diplomatic union within the six-member GCC, which also includes Qatar, Omar and Kuwait. | |
However, Qatar and Oman have so far resisted increased integration in these fields. | |
Brotherhood links | |
The incident is one of the most serious disagreements within the GCC in recent times. | The incident is one of the most serious disagreements within the GCC in recent times. |
Oil and gas-rich Qatar has been an increasingly vocal diplomatic player. It strongly supported Egypt's now-ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and is a key backer of rebels in Syria. | |
The state is home to the influential al-Jazeera news network, which broadcasts across the world and has been critical of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. | The state is home to the influential al-Jazeera news network, which broadcasts across the world and has been critical of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. |
Qatar is seen as a major financial and diplomatic supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. | Qatar is seen as a major financial and diplomatic supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. |
On Monday, a Qatari citizen received a seven-year jail sentence in the UAE for supporting a group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. | |
Meanwhile, Egypt's new government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has charged nine al-Jazeera journalists of aiding a terrorist organisation, as it now brands the Muslim Brotherhood, and has put them on trial. |