Doha disappointed, shuns Egypt ‘deals’ – No recommendation on listed Kuwaiti

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DOHA, July 26, (Agencies): Qatar said on Wednesday a decision by four Arab states to add 18 groups and individuals allegedly linked to Doha to their “terrorist” lists was “a disappointing surprise” and that it was doing all it could to fight extremism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain put another nine groups based in Yemen and Libya and nine people from several Arab countries on the blacklist, saying all were associated with Qatar.

“(The new list) comes as a disappointing surprise that the blockading countries are still pursuing this story as part of their smear campaign against Qatar,” Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed al-Thani, director of the Gulf kingdom’s Government Communications Office, said in a statement sent to Reuters.

“This latest list provides further evidence that the blockading countries are not committed to the fight against terrorism. As we have previously stated, all individuals with links to terrorism in Qatar have been prosecuted.”

Sheikh Saif said Qatar constantly reviews its anti-terror laws to “remain on the front foot in the fight against extremism and terror financing”.

The four countries severed relations with Qatar on June 5, accusing the major gas-exporting Gulf state of financing terrorism, meddling in the affairs of Arab countries and cozying up to their arch-rival Iran.

Western-backed efforts by Kuwait to mediate in the dispute, the worst between the Gulf states in years, have so far yielded little progress. On Wednesday, remarks by a senior UAE official suggested no compromise would come any time soon.

It was important to look beyond “crisis” and to think of it as a “new set of relations in (the) Gulf replacing old ones,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter, adding that the current state was set to continue.

“We have to go on without Qatar; a conservative Gulf monarchy, in (a) totally anachronistic place. Promoting policies and values it does not practice,” he wrote.

The boycotting countries want Qatar to cut back ties with Iran, close down a Turkish military base in Qatar and shut the Al Jazeera TV channel, which they view as critical of their governments.

Qatar and Turkey have been important backers of the Muslim Brotherhood movement that has challenged entrenched Arab rulers. Qatar, however, said last month that charges of support for Islamist militancy “hold no foundation in fact”.

Doha signed an agreement earlier this month with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson aimed at combating terrorist financing, part of a US effort to end the worst rift between Western-allied Arab states for years.

In Tuesday’s statement, the four countries accused Qatari, Kuwaiti and Yemeni nationals of helping raise funds for al-Qaeda militants. Their blacklist now include three Yemeni charities, three Libyan media outlets, two armed groups and a religious foundation, some of which are already subject to US sanctions.

No MoE recommendation

In Kuwait, Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohammed Al-Fares says the ministry has not yet received any recommendations related to the decision taken by four countries — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain – to add Professor of Sharia at Kuwait University Dr Hamed Hamad Al-Ali in the list of terrorists, reports Al-Rai daily.

He affirmed that he will handle such matters in accordance with the regulations and legal procedures allotted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior.

Dr Al-Fares explained that one of the alleged members of the Abdali cell is an employee of Ministry of Higher Education. That employee was dealt with based on procedures of Ministry of Interior.

He insisted that the ministry strongly prohibits such matters, monitors all educational institutions of the university, applied education institutes and schools, and takes legal actions against the violators.

Meanwhile, Qatar has turned down several requests by third-party traders to make fresh liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies available to Egypt, raising concerns that a diplomatic row between the countries may curb regional energy trade, sources said.

Top LNG producer Qatar supplies around 60 percent of Egypt’s LNG but relations suffered after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties and imposed sanctions on the gas-rich Gulf state last month, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges.

Since then, requests by at least two companies to ship additional LNG from Qatar to Egypt have been rejected without explanation, trade sources familiar with the talks have said.

Qatar’s reluctance to expand LNG trade with Egypt contrasts with a growing desire to sell more spot cargoes into Europe, one of the trade sources said, drawing a link to the diplomatic standoff between Qatar and Egypt.

A Qatar Petroleum spokesman denied this.

“It is business as usual for Qatar’s LNG, who continue to honour all their commitments and to actively engage with all counter-parties, regarding mutually beneficial LNG market opportunities,” the spokesman said.

Egyptian Natural Gas Holding did not return requests for comment.

Any decision to restrict sales of new LNG to Egypt would be largely symbolic since the country has already locked in most of its deliveries for 2017 from Qatar and other producers.

And some traders suggested that Qatari producers may have simply come up against routine shipping or supply scheduling constraints for refusing to sell the cargoes.

The mounting logistical challenges of dealing with the country’s cash-strapped government may have led Qatar to scale back its involvement purely on a commercial basis, a second trade source familiar with the talks said.

After struggling to repay arrears owed to its LNG suppliers and extending payment terms, Egypt recently embarked on a policy to defer about 20 contracted shipments initially scheduled for delivery this year to 2018, as rising domestic output began squeezing out demand for costly foreign imports.

Traders had to wrangle approvals from producers to rearrange shipping schedules, inconveniencing Qatar.

Benefiting from several Egyptian multi-billion-dollar LNG buying sprees, commodity traders from Trafigura to Glencore, Vitol and Noble Group carved out a niche for themselves by shouldering credit risks for producers, including Qatar, averse to supplying Egypt directly.

For example, in December Egypt launched a tender to secure 60 LNG cargoes for delivery in 2017, awarding most of its requirement to Swiss trade houses backed in part by producer Qatar.

“Restrictions would only apply to short positions which some of Egypt’s trade house suppliers had, all existing agreements are unchanged,” a trader said.

While most traders lined up LNG to cover their commitments, some held off, leaving limited open positions to fill nearer to the cargoes’ delivery date.

It is these open positions — or shorts — which Qatar has refused to fill, the trade sources said, potentially opening doors for rival producers including Trinidad, the United States and Algeria to supply Egypt.

 

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