19
Minister stated that “shocking” measures have been taken
against Qatar and that Qatar does not want “escalation”
with anyone. He also added that the country wanted to
resolve all conflicts with dialogue.
On 22 June, HE the Foreign Minister gave an interview
to France 24 during which he stated that the “accusations
of terrorism [against Qatar] are false”. He added that he
believed the United States and other countries were now
coming to the same conclusion.
International media outlets picked up on the statement in
The Guardian, in which he said: “Qatar does not support
the Nusra Front in Syria ... and it does not support any
terrorist organisation”, and in Al Jazeera that Qatar had
always “abided by international laws”.
The Director of the Government Communications
Office, His Excellency Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani,
also conducted many high-level interviews in the media,
including the LA Times, during which he said: “We’re
willing to sit and negotiate. Of course, anything that will
affect our sovereignty and independence, we will not
consider, even slightly.”
A key message that MOFA’s senior spokespeople
sought to convey was the human impact of the
blockade.
This resulted in various human rights
organisations denouncing the blockading
countries.
“The move in early June by Saudi Arabia,
Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates – and
their subsequent issuance with Egypt of a list of
13 demands for ending the crisis, which Qatar
rejected – isolated the Gulf state and precipitated
serious human rights violations of individuals
living in Qatar, infringing on their right to free
expression, separating families, and interrupting
medical care and education”.
Human Rights Watch
2018 World Report