Riyadh — Saudi Arabia on Saturday suspended any dialogue with Qatar, which has been distorting facts.
Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, received a telephone call on Friday from Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar.
During the call, the Emir of Qatar expressed his desire to sit at the dialogue table and discuss the demands of the four countries.
The Crown Prince welcomed the desire of Sheikh Tamim.
Qatar’s state news agency QNA said the phone call was based on the coordination of US President Donald Trump who had earlier talked with Sheikh Tamim.
The QNA, however, completely distorted the content of the call.
Saudi Arabia later issued a second statement citing an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denying the QNA report.
“What was published on the Qatar News Agency is a continuation of the distortion of the Qatari authority of the facts,” Saudi Press Agency reported citing the Saudi official.
“It clearly shows that the Qatari authority has not yet understood that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not ready at all to tolerate the change by the Qatari authority of agreements and facts. This is evident in the distortion of the content of the phone call received by the Crown Prince from the Emir of Qatar minutes after its completion.
“The call was at the request of Qatar and its request for dialogue with four countries fighting terrorism.
“This proves that the authority in Qatar is not serious in dialogue and continues its previous policies, so the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declares that any dialogue or communication with the authority in Qatar will be suspended until a clear statement explaining its position is made in public and that its public statements are in conformity with its obligations.
“The Kingdom affirms that the flounder of the Qatari policy does not bolsters the confidence needed for dialogue.”
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman received a telephone call from US President Donald Trump.
During the call, they reviewed the bilateral relations and developments in the region and the world.
They stressed the need for all countries to abide by the commitments they made at the Riyadh Summit aimed at defeating terrorism, its financing and combating extremist ideology.
They asserted the need to strengthen the security of the region and the danger of the Iranian regime.
The Crown Prince and the US President stressed the depth of the strategic relations between the two countries and strengthening them to serve the two friendly peoples.
http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/516865/SAUDI-ARABIA/Qatar