Italian FM arrives in Doha, meets Qatari counterpart

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Wednesday held a joint press conference with Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano, who arrived in Doha earlier the same day for a one-day visit.

At the press conference, Al Thani described a landmark handshake between Saudi FM Adel Al-Jubeir and Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif -- which occurred Tuesday at an Istanbul-hosted OIC conference -- as a “private affair”.

Qatar, he said, “does not interfere in other countries’ bilateral relations and expects other countries not to interfere in our foreign relations”.

Asked about perceived double standards on the part of Riyadh, which continues to demand that Qatar sever its relations with Tehran, Al Thani said: “We’ve seen a number of contradictions within the context of the ongoing crisis” pitting Qatar against a handful of fellow Arab states.

“These contradictions,” he added, “have not been limited to handshakes.”

Al Thani went on to assert that Qatar had set no conditions for holding dialogue with the states now arrayed against it, which, along with Saudi Arabia, include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

He said his country hoped to find a solution to the crisis based on the principles of non-interference (in other countries’ domestic affairs), non-compulsion, and international law.

“We will not support proposals which lack innovation or which conflict with each other,” Al Thani said. “The main stimulus for Qatar now is Kuwait's ongoing role as mediator.”

He also noted that Qatar and Italy had recently signed a €5-million deal for the purchase of advanced naval vessels within the context of a “military-economic program” between the two countries.

Alfano, the Italian FM, for his part, expressed his country’s support for Kuwait’s ongoing mediation efforts.

“We want this crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means,” he said. “We don’t want it to escalate further.”

In early June, a handful of Arab states -- led by Saudi Arabia -- abruptly severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups.

In the two months since, the Saudi-led bloc has reiterated demands that Doha sever all ties with Tehran, which is largely seen as Riyadh’s chief regional rival.