Qatar dismisses Iraqi charges that Doha funds terrorism

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KUWAIT (Reuters) - Qatar signalled its irritation on Tuesday with Iraq's accusation that it backed insurgents fighting Baghdad's rule, saying it was not appropriate for countries which failed to preserve national unity to accuse other Arab states of supporting "terrorism". The comments by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, were the first official Qatari reaction after Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, this month accused Doha and Riyadh of funding insurgency. Maliki's relationships with Sunni-led Gulf Arab states are strained, and they in turn see him as too close to Shi'ite Iran. "It is about time for Iraq to get out of the cycle of rifts and violence and that cannot be achieved by sidelining segments of the population, or accusing it of terrorism, if they demanded equality and participation," Sheikh Tamim said. "It is not appropriate that those who fail to preserve national unity to accuse other Arab countries of supporting terrorism in their country," he told fellow heads of state and government at the opening session of an Arab summit in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia has already rejected Maliki's assertion this month that it and Qatar were funding Sunni insurgents fighting in Iraq's western Anbar province. The United Arab Emirates summoned Iraq's ambassador to protest against the accusations, while Bahrain called them "irresponsible". Iraqi forces have been fighting insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Anbar's two main cities since the beginning of the year. Violence in Iraq has worsened in the past year, with ISIL launching a particularly devastating bombing campaign mid-2013.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/world/qata...terrorism-1450595.html?utm_source=ref_article

 

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Meanwhile


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Various US media outlets, commentators and conservative politicians have described the state-funded Al Jazeera as a 'terror network.'[78][79]

In 2011 the Washington Times reported that Qatar was providing weapons and funding to Abdelhakim Belhadj, leader of the formerly U.S. designated terrorist group, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and then leader of the conservative Islamist Al-Watan Party[80]

In December 2012 the New York Times accused the Qatari regime of funding the Al-Nusra Front, a U.S. government designated terrorist organization.[81] The Financial Times noted Emir Hamad's visit to Gaza and meeting with Hamas, another internationally designated terrorist organization.[82] Spanish football club FC Barcelona were coming under increasing pressure to tear up their £125m shirt sponsorship contract with the Qatar Foundation after claims the so-called charitable trust finances terrorist group Hamas. The fresh controversy follows claims made by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo that the Qatar Foundation had given money to extremist cleric Yusuf al Qaradawi who is an advocate of terrorism, wife beating and anti-semitism.[83]

In January 2013 French politicians again accused the Qatari Government of giving material support to Islamist groups in Mali and the French newspaper Le Canard enchaîné quoted an unnamed source in French military intelligence saying that “The MNLA [secular Tuareg separatists], al Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine and Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa have all received cash from Doha.”[84]