Bahrain FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Qatar Plays Negative Role to Obstruct Solution In Yemen

 Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. (Photo: AFP)
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. (Photo: AFP)
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Bahrain FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Qatar Plays Negative Role to Obstruct Solution In Yemen

 Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. (Photo: AFP)
Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheik Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. (Photo: AFP)

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said on Thursday the signing of a final agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) under the auspices of Saudi Arabia would be a “major leap forward concerning the future stability of Yemen, particularly following the important meetings held in this regard in Jeddah.”

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Khalifa said, “Qatar is trying to prevent a solution in Yemen. We can see it through Doha’s positions announced in the media, broadcasted by Al Jazeera channel.”

He explained that Qatar always failed to enforce this role in Yemen facing the people’s will to stop all foreign interference, including Iran’s attempt to incite strife.

The Bahrain FM said that Qatar does not only play a negative role in Yemen, but also in Libya, Tunisia, Gulf States and Iraq.

“Everyone knows what we mean,” he said.

Commenting on weapons and explosive materials shipments from Tehran to Manama, Al Khalifa said, “The quantity of arms that Bahrain confiscated was sufficient to destroy half of the capital.”
He explained that Iran should send a message of peace and good neighborliness or else, Tehran should be held responsible for its actions in the region.

Al Khalifa said he considers the recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Saudi Arabia and the UAE as very important. “The visit shows that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi do not build relations with other countries governed by circumstances and that both states extend continuous bridges of friendship worldwide,” he said.

Al Khalifa condemned the Turkish cross-border infiltration in north Syria, and he asked Ankara to respect the Syrian sovereignty and territories.

“The comeback of Syria to the arms of the Arab League is left to Syria and AL states,” he said, adding that the Bahraini diplomatic presence in Damascus had not stopped during the past years.
Al Khalifa concluded by thanking Gulf States for their economic support to Bahrain.



Saudi Crown Prince Receives US Secretary of State in Riyadh

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives US Secretary of State in Riyadh

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received in Riyadh on Monday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the eve of talks on Ukraine.

Rubio had arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday to prepare for the talks and plan the anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump and Putin have agreed to kick of peace talks about Ukraine that will be attended by Crown Prince Mohammed.

Saudi and American officials will discuss bilateral relations and regional cooperation, as well as efforts to push forward peace and stability in the region.

The State Department had said Rubio’s visit to the region will “promote US interests in advancing regional cooperation, stability, and peace.”

“The trip will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies,” it said in a statement.