Maldives follows Saudi Arabia, Egypt in severing ties with Qatar

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4 nations cut diplomatic ties to Qatar as Arab rift deepens
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05 June, 2017

The Arab world's strongest powers cut ties with Qatar on Monday over alleged support for Islamists and Iran, re-opening a festering wound just two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for Muslim states to fight terrorism. Such measures are unjustified and are based on baseless and unfounded allegations.

The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether the decision would affect its operations. Its al-Udeid Air Base serves as a launching pad for coalition jets bombing IS sites in Iraq and Syria.

Qatar is the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Airlines of Bahrain and Maldives were, at the time of the ban, unsure of whether they would also join in and suspend flights to and Qatar. It secured the release of hostages in Syria's civil war, including some held by an al-Qaida affiliate.

Qatar is also home to the former leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, who has lived in exile for several years in Doha. Egypt has led the way in faulting Qatar for giving a safe haven to leading figures of the Muslim Brotherhood. Qatar also once had open ties to Israel.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all announced they would withdraw their diplomatic staff from Qatar, a gas-rich nation that will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and is home to a major US military base.

Through its national press agency, Saudi Arabia issued a statement accusing their neighbours of "harbouring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region".

The tiny island nation of Bahrain blamed Qatar's "media incitement, support for armed terrorist activities and funding linked to Iranian groups to carry out sabotage and spreading chaos in Bahrain" for its decision.

Gulf Arab states and Egypt have already long resented Qatar's support for Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood which they regard as a risky political enemy.

There could be long-term economic consequences for Qatar, which would affect the millions of migrant workers and expatriates living there.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways said it was suspending all flights to Saudi Arabia.

Political risk consultancy Eurasia Group says the "risk of a coup is significant". U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the move was rooted in longstanding differences and urged the parties to resolve them.

The Gulf countries ordered their citizens out of Qatar and gave Qataris overseas 14 days to return home to their peninsular nation, whose only land border is with Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia and at least four other Arab nations are cutting all ties with Qatar, citing concerns over terrorism and regional stability and igniting debate over the rift's impacts among key US allies in the Middle East.

Qatar said it was facing a campaign aimed at weakening it, denying it was interfering in the affairs of other countries.

Trump and other US officials participated in a traditional sword dance during the trip in which he called on Muslim countries to stand united against Islamist extremists and singled out Iran as a key source of funding and support for militant groups.

Even before Monday, Qatar had appeared unperturbed by the growing tensions.

Many expatriate and Saudi travelers use Qatar as their gateway into Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi in the UAE is also a major player in the industry.

Qatar denounced the moves as based on lies about it supporting militants. The details of the agreement that ended that standoff were never made public, but it included promises that Qatar would end its support for the Brotherhood. Qatar shares a massive offshore gas field with Iran.


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