Egyp’s Ex-Official: Qatar May Face Suspension of Membership in Arab League, PGCC

Former Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Haridi said Qatar’s membership in both the Arab League (AL) and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council might be suspended after the recent darkening of the relations between Doha and several PGCC member states.
“The decision by Riyadh, Manama and Abu Dhabi (to recall their ambassadors to Qatar) hit a major blow at Doha and showed the PGCC and AL member states’ disappointment at Qatar’s policies in the region,” Haridi told FNA in Cairo on Saturday.

Stressing that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE’s removal of their envoys to Doha was unprecedented all throughout the PGCC’s history, he said, “This move will certainly affect Qatar’s economy and policy negatively.”

Haridi said he has even been informed that the PGCC and the AL have decided to suspend Qatar’s membership in the two Arab groupings.

In an unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on Wednesday, saying Doha had failed to abide by an accord not to interfere in each others’ internal affairs.

Hours later Qatar’s cabinet voiced “regret and surprise” at the decision by the fellow-members of the six-nation PGCC.

On Thursday, a source close to the Qatari government suggested Qatar would not comply.

“Qatar will not let go of its foreign policy, no matter what the pressures are. This is a matter of principles which we will stick to, no matter the price,” the source said.

The source also suggested Qatar would not stop its practice of playing host to members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including Youssef al-Qaradawi, an influential Sunni cleric and a vocal critic of authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

“Since the day Qatar was founded we decided to take this approach of always welcoming anyone who seeks refuge in our country, and no amount of pressure will make us kick these people out,” said the source close to the government.

A source at the foreign ministry said, “It’s the right of every sovereign state to have its own foreign policy.”