HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has accused countries which have imposed a blockade on Qatar of treating the Qatari people in a "barbaric" manner.
The siege has affected everyone, whether they are pilgrims, families, students or patients; and the way it has been done has nothing to do with the Gulf and Islamic morals, Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman told Qatar TV during the Al Haqiqa (The Truth) programme on Wednesday.
“The target here is the people of Qatar and Qatar itself, and these countries have done all that can be done against the people of Qatar,” he said.
Sheikh Mohamed said after the intentions of the siege countries were revealed, Doha contacted all friendly countries to explain what had happened, referring to the hacking of Qatar News Agency website on May 24 last year.
At the same time the siege countries mobilised their resources and diplomats to incite against Qatar in other countries, he said.
“The siege countries tried to mobilise other countries such as the Maldives as well as an internationally unrecognised government in Libya and other countries, and even buy ads in Western countries to incite against Qatar."
Sheikh Mohamed renewed his call to the siege countries to come to the negotiating table, present the facts and have a direct dialogue.
He felt the siege countries would not be able to sit at the dialogue table due to the lack of grounds for their accusations against Qatar, noting that these countries do not want to settle the Gulf crisis.
"This means the GCC system does not represent anything for them and that the Kuwaiti mediation and the efforts exerted in it were neither respected nor supported," he said.
In addition, art, music, songs, sports, tribe and other methods were used, including the use of religious discourse as the most dangerous means against a neighbouring people and country, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said.
"In this sense, we see that the accusations made against one of these countries such as the use of religious platforms to promote their political message were correct because they were used today in the same way to promote this political message."
Sheikh Mohamed observed that the intellectual terrorism of preventing freedom of expression and criminalisation of sympathy with Qatar is in itself a precedent according to international norms, adding any civilised country would reject such a behaviour.
he criticised the siege countries attempts to use tribes to divide the Qatari people who resisted all these attempts and temptations and confirmed their loyalty to Qatar and to His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani before any narrow tribal affiliation.
HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister stressed that the main factor which has helped in overcoming this crisis was the strength, solidity and the cohesion of the Qatari people and residents, a point often mentioned by His Highness the Emir in all his meetings.
“His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani expressed his pride about those who live in Qatar, whether Qatari or non-Qatari, for their stance on the crisis and pledging cohesion in the face of these barbaric acts, some of which were manifested by the distribution of weapons while poetry is recited and horses dance in scenes that are only seen in historic series.”
As for the accusation that Qatar is supporting terrorism, Sheikh Mohamed said it was a charge used by the siege countries to win the sympathy of the West against Qatar, while for Qatar, the extremist policies of many countries and repressive regimes are the main reason for terrorism and creating an environment conducive for the growth of terrorists.
