Riyadh - Saeed Al Ghamedi
Fifty-nine Individuals, including members of the Qatari royal family and controversial Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf Qaradawi, as well as 12 Qatari entities have been listed on a new terror list announced in a Saudi, Emirati, Bahraini and Egyptian joint-statement.
According to the statement, which was carried by the official Saudi Press Agency the list comes as a result of "the continuous and ongoing violations of the authorities in Doha of Qatar’s commitments and obligations, enshrined in agreements to which it is a signatory, have necessitated The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain to act to update their respective lists of designated terrorist organizations and individuals".
As a result of these violations, 59 individuals and 12 entities have been designated by each of the four countries as part of their unified and ongoing commitment to combatting terrorism, drying up the sources of its funding, countering extremist ideology and the tools of its dissemination and promotion.
The statement added that the position of the four governments comes also as a result of "Qatar’s actions in contravention of its (previous) commitments include: supporting and harboring elements and organizations that threaten the National security of other States. The repeated ignoring of calls for the fulfillment of its obligations under the Riyadh Agreement of 2013 and its associated Implementation Mechanisms, and in addition the Comprehensive Agreement of 2014."
The joint statement as concluded that, as a result of the above, the government of Qatar has "undermined the national security" of our the four concerned countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) and exposed each of these countries to "threats, subversion, and the spread of instability by individuals and terrorist organizations operating from Qatar and or supported by it."
The majority of those entities sanctioned are linked to Qatar and are "a manifestation of a Qatari Government policy of duplicity," the statement added.
Describing Doha's policy, the joint announcement characterized it as "One that calls for combating terrorism, whilst simultaneously overseeing the financing, supporting and harboring a vast array of terrorist groups and terrorist financing networks."
The four concerned countries also declared their commitment to their responsibilities in enhancing all efforts to counter terrorism and to laying the foundations for security and stability in the region.
"Each (of the four countries) reaffirms their respective commitment to the pursuit of individuals and groups perpetuating acts of terror, regionally and globally," the statement added.
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain will continue to work with partners around the world towards finding solutions to countering terrorist organizations and extremist groups whose activities must not and cannot be ignored by any state."
In declaring this statement The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Bahrain "reaffirm their appreciation of partner states that have supported efforts to counter terrorism, extremism and violence, and call for continued and renewed efforts and cooperation in defeating the scurge of terrorism and its terrible impact on the global community."