DOHA (Dispatches) – Qatar said on Wednesday a decision by four Arab states to add 18 groups and individuals allegedly linked to Doha to their "terrorist" lists was "a disappointing surprise" and that it was doing all it could to fight extremism.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain put another nine groups based in Yemen and Libya and nine people from several Arab countries on the blacklist, saying all were associated with Qatar.
"(The new list) comes as a disappointing surprise that the blockading countries are still pursuing this story as part of their smear campaign against Qatar," Sheikh Saif Bin Ahmed al-Thani, director of the Persian Gulf kingdom's Government Communications Office, said in a statement sent to Reuters.
"This latest list provides further evidence that the blockading countries are not committed to the fight against terrorism. As we have previously stated, all individuals with links to terrorism in Qatar have been prosecuted."
Sheikh Saif said Qatar constantly reviews its anti-terror laws to "remain on the front foot in the fight against extremism and terror financing".
Qatar’s foreign minister, who is on a visit to the U.S., says the "negative behavior” of the Saudi-led bloc of blockaders is undermining the mediation efforts aimed at settling the unprecedented diplomatic crisis gripping the Persian Gulf region.
In an interview with Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera late Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reiterated that Doha was open to dialog on issues of concern, but that its international affairs would not be up for negotiations.
"We see there is a negative behavior aimed at influencing the mediation, either through statements or through (media) leaks which they launch at critical moments,” the top diplomat added.
He said his visit to Washington is part of the U.S.-Kuwaiti efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the row between Doha and the Saudi-led bloc boycotting his country.
Separately, Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah announced that his country’s military is in the final stages of preparations for joint exercises with the U.S. and Turkish forces.
"The drills involving the three nations [Qatar, the U.S. and Turkey] will start in the shortest time,” Attiyah told RT Arabic.
He also hailed the "special strategic relationship” between Qatar and Turkey, adding that the 2015 military agreement between the two states "can’t be annulled only because some countries decided to announce a blockade of Qatar.”
Touching on the demands from the Saudi-led bloc, Attiyah stressed that the removal of the siege on Qatar was a pre-requisite for dialogue between the conflicting sides.
If Saudi Arabia and its allies "stall lifting the blockade, Qatar will have to resort to means available to it internationally, should we find that this blockade violates international law. Therefore, Qatar will be forced to opt for international procedures to legally lift the blockade,” he pointed out.