Arab world demands accountability from Qatar

Update: 2017-06-23 08:20 GMT

The Arab world put out a list of demands from Qatar.


Acting as mediator, Kuwait has given Qatar a list of 13 different demands from Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries it must comply with in order to restore diplomatic ties.


U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Is Leaving Her Post As Diplomatic Crisis Continues in the Gulf.




The career Foreign Service officer is finishing her tour. But the timing couldn’t be worse as the region remains engulfed in crisis.






The State Department confirmed that Shell Smith’s three-year tour had concluded, and her departure from her posting was expected — regional crisis or no —though she reportedly has decided to also leave the Foreign Service.
Despite the mixed signals from Washington, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, told the Senate during a hearing on Tuesday that, so far, the blockade hasn’t affected U.S. military operations in Qatar.
Right now, most of the support has come in the form of food aid, as Saudi Arabia closed off Qatar’s land border over which it gets most of its imports. (nymag.com)


https://youtu.be/KFAjp003Be8


Impact on equities


Qatar Crisis Has Impacted Equities in 2017


534 words Market Realist
Several GCC nations including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ), Bahrain, and Egypt ( EGPT ) severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, due to the country allegedly supporting terrorism.
If we look at markets in the US as of June 20, the S&P 500 has seen a negligible fall of ~0.14% after the announcement of Qatar’s isolation on June 5, 2017.
You can see in the above chart, Middle East equities have fallen drastically after the announcement of economic sanctions on Qatar.
Statistics
The Middle East accounted for ~45.8% of global crude oil exports as of 2016.
As of June 20, the iShares MSCI Qatar Capped ETF ( QAT ) has fallen ~10% since June 5.
During the same period, the SPDR S&P Emerging Middle East & Africa ETF ( GAF ) has fallen ~6%.
The WisdomTree Middle East Dividend ETF ( GULF ) has fallen ~1%.
(marketrealist.com)

https://youtu.be/nWiDDPU8Rlo


Turkey


The document says Qatar has 10 days to comply with all demands.
The list says Qatar must immediately close Turkey’s military base in Qatar and end military cooperation with the NATO member. (theconservativetreehouse.com)


Iran


The Iran provisions in the document say Qatar must shut down diplomatic posts in Iran, kick out from Qatar any members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard, and only conduct trade and commerce with Iran that complies with U.S. sanctions.


Shut Down Al-Jazeera


Saudi Arabia has demanded that Al-Jazeera an Arabic and English news network which has lost thousands of million dollars in the last few years be permanently shut down, which Qatar may never agree to as it is its best overseas reputation management arm. Qatar has used it to pressurise other countries in the region and then beyond to become a front runner in world affairs using the network. It hired a multi-national team to run the network.



Hamas


When Palestinian militant group Hamas announced its new policy document to the world, it wasn't from Ramallah or Gaza City, but from the Sheraton hotel's gilded Salwa Ballroom in Doha.


https://youtu.be/OFaZCmmO20s


The Saudis are also attempting to establish their political dominance within the region, as part of the “Sunni NATO” concept. Qatar’s independent foreign policy which often ignored or even undermined Saudi aims in Syria and Libya, was naturally an obstacle in reaching that objective. Moreover, Qatar’s freelancing also appears to be the reason why countries like Egypt and Israel have backed Saudi moves. Qatar is a major sponsor the Muslim Brotherhood and of Hamas which are major irritants for these two countries, respectively. (uprootedpalestinians.blogspot.com)


Egypt


The fight with Egypt is an old one and this is the right time for Egypt to hit where it hurts most.


https://youtu.be/zKkHdfqw3xs


Demand List

  • Sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in other Arab states



  • Refuse to naturalise citizens from the four countries and expel those currently on its territory, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs



  • Hand over all individuals who are wanted by the four countries for terrorism



  • Stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the US



  • Provide detailed information about opposition figures whom Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations



  • Align itself politically, economically and otherwise with the Gulf Co-operation Council



  • Stop funding other news outlets in addition to Al Jazeera, including Arabi21 and Middle East Eye



  • Pay an unspecified sum in compensation

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