Qatar's Emir Warns Against Any Military Action Against His Country

The Emir of Qatar warned about the use of force by four Arab countries to resolve their crisis with Doha, stating that military action would only lead to chaos in the region. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani mentioned that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has proposed to host a meeting between Qatar and its opposing countries—Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE—to end the crisis among U.S. allies. According to a report on Sunday, November 7, by the Associated Press, the Emir of Qatar, in an interview with CBS's '60 Minutes', added that the countries imposing sanctions on Qatar have yet to respond to this proposal. He indicated that this meeting would likely take place soon. The threat of military action against Qatar has been a topic since the early days of the crisis in relations between the four Arab countries and Doha, which began on June 5 of this year. Arabic-language media affiliated with the sanctioning countries had suggested that operations for the 'Arabian Peninsula Shield', the military arm of the Gulf Cooperation Council, should commence. However, at that time, the four Arab countries rejected such a possibility. Saudi Arabia and the UAE had previously sent military forces to Bahrain during the crisis following the protests known as the 'Arab Spring'. Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, in his September meeting with Donald Trump in Washington, stated that the U.S. President's mediation could prevent violence in the Qatar crisis. He, who played a mediating role between Doha and the four Arab countries, added: 'Thank God, now, the important thing is that we have prevented any military action.' Sheikh Tamim confirmed in his CBS interview that the possibility of such military threats existed. The Emir of Qatar expressed: 'My fear is that if something happens, if any military action is taken, the entire region will fall into chaos.' His remarks on Sunday morning faced criticism from Anwar Gargash, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs. He tweeted: 'Turning to Western media and attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE in such a situation is disappointing.' Gargash added that Qatar 'must accept its isolation without lamentation and do what it needs to do.' The four Arab governments sanctioning Qatar have accused the country of financially supporting Islamic extremists, having close ties with Iran, and negative media propaganda associated with Qatar. Doha has denied these accusations.