A ransom payment to the value of US$1 billion to Iranian and al-Qaeda-linked forces in Syria to release members of the Gulf state’s royal family was alleged to be one of the triggers behind Gulf states’ dramatic decision to cut ties with Doha.
According to the Financial Times, Arab nations including Saudi Arabia and Egypt on Monday, June 5, 2017, cut ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.
The co-ordinated move which was carried out by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain came as a result of allegations that Qatar had secretly backed religious extremisim with an aim to destabilize the region.
The ransom deal, which was concluded in April, heightened concerns among Qatar’s neighbours about the small gas-rich state’s role in a region plagued by conflict and bitter rivalries, said FT.
“The ransom payments are the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said one Gulf observer.
In response, Qatar said it was facing a campaign of lies and fabrications aimed at putting the Gulf Arab state under guardianship.
The crisis was likely to have wide-ranging consequences, not just for Qatar and its citizens but around the Middle East and for Western interests.
Qatar hosts the largest US airbase in the region, which is crucial to operations against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group extremists, and is set to host the 2022 football World Cup.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters in Sydney on Monday that the spat would not effect the fight against Islamist militants and that Washington has encouraged its Gulf allies to resolve their differences.
“We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences,” he said in Sydney. “If there’s any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) remain united.”