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Hisham Aljundi
Doha
The GCC crisis, precipitated by an unjust blockade initiated by Saudi-led countries against Qatar, has plunged the countries in the region into a state of distrust, said Chairman of the Board of Al Jazeera Media Network Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer al Thani.
Addressing the opening session of 13th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on Saturday, Sheikh Thamer said, “The lack of trust among the GCC countries is the worst issue in this crisis, which needs deep understanding by researchers and media persons.”
The blockade, he said, hit the GCC hard, undermined its security and diminished its influence, he said.
The people of the region were waiting for a unified currency and passport, but instead found themselves facing the biggest trust deficit since the founding of the bloc, he added.
The GCC crisis and the blockade against Qatar formed the central theme of the 13th Al Jazeera Forum that began on Saturday with the participation of several political leaders, scholars and media persons in Doha.
Several other aspects of the crisis were also discussed at the forum on the opening day.
Nasser al Duwailah, a former Kuwaiti member of parliament, said Saudi Arabia should respect other cultures and sovereignty of its neighbours.
“If Saudi Arabia wanted to be within the GCC frame, they should respect it as a whole system,” he said.
“Saudi Arabia doesn’t respect other cultures. It follows a with us or against us policy when it comes to dealing with other countries.”
Former Turkish parliamentarian Mehmet Mehdi Eker said his country was ready to support any initiative to enhance the public security in the region.
President of the High Council of State of Libya Khalid al Meshri said the GCC crisis took the region back by several decades.
“We used to see the GCC as a model of stability and unity in the region. The crisis here had an impact on the Arab Spring countries and affected them as some parts attempted to end democracy in these countries through counter-revolutions,” Meshri said.
He said Libyan strongman Khalifa Hafter would not have launched a war on the capital Tripoli without the support he received from a few Gulf countries, led by Saudi Arabia, which Hafter visited three days prior to the attack.
Meshri also accused the UAE of violating UN resolutions on Arming in Libya for supplying Haftar with arms, aircraft and armor.
Several Arab speakers at the forum dubbed Saudi Arabia as the biggest loser in the crisis, for the Kingdom saw its influence shrink in the region because of it.
The forum also discussed the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Turkey and its impact on the image of the country in the region and the world.
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28/04/2019
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