Qatar’s Emir says dispute with Saudi Arabia & allies weakened Gulf Arab bloc

Qatar’s ruler said on Tuesday that the country’s dispute with Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies had harmed regional security by weakening a Gulf Arab bloc. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut transport and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges. “History teaches us that crises pass, but if they are handled badly then this may leave traces which last for a long time,” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said in a speech to the country’s consultative Shoura council. “It is very regrettable that the continuation of the Gulf crisis exposed the failure of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)… which has weakened its ability to face challenges and threats and marginalized its role in the region,” he said. The emir urged the bloc to adopt dispute resolution mechanisms, Reuters reports.