Thread: GCC cuts ties, travel with Qatar

If you're going to read it, read it all.

If not for a gesture of goodwill from Bahrain, whose airspace practically encircles Qatar, the airline would have to cease operations. The gesture is this: all Qatari-registered planes can pass through Bahraini airspace, but only along two specific routes — one for incoming planes, the other for outgoing.

"goodwill".

Originally Posted by Neverna

"goodwill".

They're going to be in a bit of a quandary if Saudi tell them to close the back door.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Saudi tell them to close the back door.

I dunno. Seems to be a penchant for back doors roun' here.

Now this is interesting...

An al-Qaeda money man was employed by the Qatari government despite being officially designated a terrorist by the US.
Salim Hasan Khalifa Rashid al-Kuwari channelled hundreds of thousands of dollars to al-Qaeda through a terrorist network while working in the Gulf state’s Ministry of Interior.
The disclosure will add to the pressure being heaped on Qatar to do more to stop the financing of Islamist terrorists across the Middle East, as well as in Pakistan, Afghanistan and North Africa.
Qatar has been accused of either directly funding terrorist groups or turning a blind eye to financiers based there.
American sources have suggested Qatar, the world’s wealthiest country per head of population, has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the leading source of private donations to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), as well as to al-Qaeda.

It may surprise you to hear that this is from 2014.

Al-Qaeda terror financier worked for Qatari government - Telegraph

Yes, interesting. Saudi Arabia and Qatar both guilty of funding ISIL and Al-Qaeda according to that "American source".

American sources have suggested Qatar, the world’s wealthiest country per head of population, has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the leading source of private donations to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), as well as to al-Qaeda

Of course, the issue now is that Saudi Arabia objects to Qatar supporting other "terrorists" - i.e. ones that Saudi Arabia doesn't support. One must support the same terrorists or else!!

Originally Posted by Neverna

One must support the same terrorists or else!!

But aren't they "our" terrorists?

Sorry "freedom fighters"?

^^
Qatar is covering the bases.

SINGAPORE/SEOUL (Reuters) - Asia's oil refiners are adjusting their shipping arrangements for loading Qatari crude to side-step the diplomatic spat between Doha and other Middle East nations, including top Gulf oil producers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Buyers are chartering extra ships, loading oil from Saudi Arabia and the UAE before Qatar, or lifting a combination of Qatari and Iranian cargoes so they adhere to port and cargo restrictions enacted by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to industry sources and shipping data on Thomson Reuters Eikon.

The measures illustrate the steps that Asian refiners and traders are taking to avoid upsetting both sides of the dispute and keep oil flowing. However, the manoeuvres are adding time and costs to their trades.

"Shipping costs have increased because vessels can't stop at Saudi ports after lifting Qatari crude and I believe many other Northeast Asian buyers are worried about high logistics costs," a source at a South Korean refiner said.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE, along with Bahrain and Egypt, have imposed sanctions on Qatar accusing it of backing terrorism, a charge Doha denies.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia in early June announced bans on vessels calling on their ports after visiting or going to Qatar or carrying Qatari oil as part of the sanctions. This disrupted the common industry practice of co-loading oil from different countries onto the same tanker to save logistical costs.

Buyers can load up to 2 million barrels, equal to four standard 500,000-barrel Middle East oil cargoes, on a very large crude carrier or 1 million barrels onto a Suezmax tanker.

The status and enforcement of those bans remains uncertain. Three Asian refinery sources said that Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has assured them they can call at Qatari ports after loading in the UAE. A fourth source with knowledge of the matter confirmed the discussions; however, official statements from the UAE port authorities still ban Qatari-linked tankers.

Abhinav Chandra, a Dubai-based commercial manager at Sharaf Shipping Agency, said he has yet to see ships carrying Qatari oil calling at either Saudi or Emirati ports.

"Separating Qatari and ADNOC loadings is the best option but it comes at a cost," a trader with a southeast Asian refiner said.

Ship charterers who loaded Qatari oil in late June to early July were left with so-called dead freight, an industry term referring to unutilised vessel space, shipping data on Eikon showed.

Producing only 600,000 barrels per day, Qatar is among the smallest Middle East oil producers but more than half of its exports go to Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

Unlike other Middle East grades, Qatar crude is freely traded in the spot market with no restrictions. Oil pricing agency S&P Global Platts uses Al-Shaheen, the country's biggest production stream, as a delivery crude in its pricing process for Middle East benchmark Dubai.

Platts had halted Al-Shaheen deliveries at the start of the diplomatic row but reinstated the grade starting this month.

While the Gulf conflict may remain in a protracted stalemate, it is unlikely to disrupt Qatar's oil and gas exports, Torbjorn Soltvedt, head of Middle East and North Africa risk analysis at Verisk Maplecroft told the Reuters Global Oil Forum.

"So far it looks like there is restraint on both sides on this issue," he said.

Oil rises above $48 as API reports drop in U.S. fuel stocks | Reuters

It seems Qatar are wilting....

Qatar's Emir orders change to law combating 'terrorism'
Decree defining terms such as 'terrorist acts' follows a deal between Qatar and US to fight 'terrorism financing'.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has issued a decree amending some provisions of a law on "combating terrorism", the state news agency reported.

The decree issued on Thursday included definitions for the terms "terrorist", "crime", "terrorist acts", "terrorist entities", "the freezing of funds" and the "financing of terrorism", according to the Qatar News Agency.

It also identifies procedures related to some "terrorist activities".

The decree stated that individuals and entities accused of "terrorist" activities have the right to challenge charges lodged against them before the court.

The amendment is effective immediately upon its publication in the government newsletter, the report said.

The order follows an agreement between Qatar and the United States that seeks to curb "terrorism financing," and which was signed during a visit to Doha by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Qatar was the first state in the Gulf region to sign an agreement with the US on combating "terrorism".

Tillerson had praised Qatar for signing the deal, and for committing to the effort "to track down and disable terror financing".

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates accuse Doha of funding what they call "terrorism" - allegations Qatar strongly denies.

The four countries cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

On June 22, the Saudi-led group issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country, as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.

Doha rejected the demands, and the countries now consider the list null and void.

The blockading countries later issued a six-point demand.

Several Western diplomats have visited the Gulf over the past two weeks in a bid to ease the dispute, yet no breakthrough has been achieved.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations, Qatar's UN ambassador, Alya Ahmed Saif Al Thani, rejected the "baseless accusations" made by Egyptian Deputy UN Ambassador Ihab Awad Moustafa against Doha.

Earlier on Thursday, Moustafa told the UN Security Council that Qatar is adopting a "pro-terrorist" policy that violated UN council resolutions, and said it is "shameful" that the 15-member body had not held Qatar accountable.

Al Thani told Reuters after the meeting: "Egypt is exploiting their Security Council seat to drag in issues that are not relevant to the council's agenda ... it's just serving their own national agenda."

Any push to pass a Security Council resolution against Qatar would likely be difficult as it needs either consensus approval behind closed doors by the council, or a vote on a resolution, which would need nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the US, Britain, France, Russia or China.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Qatar's Emir orders change to law combating 'terrorism' | Qatar News | Al Jazeera

I predict kissy-face for cameras in the near future...

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

...Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates accuse Doha of funding what they call "terrorism" - allegations Qatar strongly denies...

Can be difficult to see, though I'm sure both sides are aware, that each is right with 'what they call terrorism' as their qualifier.

Imho, the only way this can be resolved is by locking their teams in a room until both agree to define 'terrorism' for this specific purpose.

Originally Posted by jabir

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

...Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates accuse Doha of funding what they call "terrorism" - allegations Qatar strongly denies...

Can be difficult to see, though I'm sure both sides are aware, that each is right with 'what they call terrorism' as their qualifier.

Imho, the only way this can be resolved is by locking their teams in a room until both agree to define 'terrorism' for this specific purpose.

Or they could just do what the rest of the GCC do, since that's the their fucking problem.

I don't see that in and of itself as Qatar giving in to the other gulf states. It will depend on who and which organisations Qatar defines as terrorist. I'm sure there will still be significant differences over that.

Originally Posted by Neverna

I don't see that in and of itself as Qatar giving in to the other gulf states. It will depend on who and which organisations Qatar defines as terrorist. I'm sure there will still be significant differences over that.

Well it seems in that respect, they are toeing the line.

However, it's one thing to be seen to stop funding and hosting them, but the issue of Al Jazeera to promote them is a big sticking point.

Whether the others will accept a promise to stop doing it or just the closing down of the station will be the big issue IMHO.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by Neverna

I don't see that in and of itself as Qatar giving in to the other gulf states. It will depend on who and which organisations Qatar defines as terrorist. I'm sure there will still be significant differences over that.

Well it seems in that respect, they are toeing the line.

However, it's one thing to be seen to stop funding and hosting them, but the issue of Al Jazeera to promote them is a big sticking point.

Whether the others will accept a promise to stop doing it or just the closing down of the station will be the big issue IMHO.

It's one step in the diplomacy and de-escalation process. The other states withdrew their 13 "demands" and now only have 6 "broad principles" to be accepted. They have even said there is now no need to close Al-Jazeera down (but change is needed). This action by Qatar is aimed at one of those "broad" principles.

Here are the six broad principles:

https://www.thenational.ae/world/gcc...ocess-1.610314


“1. Commitment to combat extremism and terrorism in all its forms and to prevent their financing or the provision of safe havens.

2. Prohibiting all acts of incitement and all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify hatred and violence.

3. Full commitment to Riyadh Agreement 2013 and the supplementary agreement and its executive mechanism for 2014 within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab States.

4. Commitment to all the outcomes of the Arab-Islamic-US Summit held in Riyadh in May 2017.

5. To refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of States and from supporting illegal entities.

6. The responsibility of all States of international community to confront all forms of extremism and terrorism as a threat to international peace and security.”

Pretty vague.

shutting down Al Jazeera is off the table though I see

Shutting down Al Jazeera was never on the table.

Just stfu about the big boys...

5. To refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of States.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Shutting down Al Jazeera was never on the table.

It was one of the original demands

I meant that Qatar was never likely to agree.

It will just be muzzled.

Egypt doubles down on Qatar blockade as Saudi allies slap further bans on Doha

EGYPT has insisted it will continue to maintain a blockade of Qatar as four Arab states yet again hammer the embattled nation with a series of bans.

By FRASER MOORE
PUBLISHED: 02:19, Tue, Jul 25, 2017 | UPDATED: 03:30, Tue, Jul 25, 2017

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo will “not backtrack” on the blockade, adding: "Our persistence on its own, our stance, and this block, is pressure in itself."

Cairo, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar in June, accusing it of backing Islamist militants in the worst crisis among Arab states in years.

Doha denies any claims of supporting terrorism.

It comes as nine entities and nine individuals were added to individual ban lists by the four Arab nations.

The additions include people from Qatar as well as individuals from Yemen and Kuwait who are accused of raising funds to support jihadi groups in Syria.

The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, said last week he is ready for dialogue with the four Arab states.

But the coalition of anti-Qatar states have tabled several demands to Doha.

The countries have demanded that Qatar reduce ties with Iran, the Arab states’ arch-rival, and shut down Doha-based news channel Al Jazeera.

They also say Qatar must close down a Turkish military base in the country.

Turkey and Qatar are backers of the Muslim Brotherhood movement that has challenged entrenched Arab rulers.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan left Qatar yesterday after having apparently failed to bring about any resolution to the row in the Gulf.

Last month Mr Erdogan rejected a demand by Saudi Arabia and its allies to withdraw its troops from Qatar.

He said at the time: “To ask Turkey to pull out its troops from Qatar is firstly disrespectful behaviour towards us.”

Up to 1,000 Turkish troops may be stationed in Qatar, according to a 2014 agreement between the two nations.

Qatar crisis: Egypt reiterates blockade commitment amid further travel bans | World | News | Express.co.uk