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Saudis Demand Qatar to Shut Down Al-Jazeera, Cut Iranian Ties Printer friendly page Print This
By Staff Writers, teleSUR
teleSUR
Friday, Jun 23, 2017

Saudi Arabia, along with the other countries who have imposed a blockade on Qatar, submitted a list of heavy demands to the gulf nation, including shutting down the major Doha based media outlet Al-Jazeera, according to Associated Press, who received a copy of the list.

In a move that would impose a stronger media-consensus on Middle-East affairs among major Arabic language media, the group of gulf nations led by close United States ally Saudi Arabia, are demanding that Al-Jazeera's Doha-based broadcast be shut down, along with all of its affiliate networks, including the globally popular English-language branch.

Among the most widely watched Arabic language-based news outlets in the world, Al-Jazeera has been accused by Saudi Arabia of promoting the interests and narratives of “terrorists groups.” Earlier this month, Al-Jazeera's local office in Saudi Arabia was shut down, and a massive cyber attack also targeted the computer systems, websites, and social media accounts of the network.

The 13-point-list of demands presented to Qatari officials also mandate them to cut off ties with Iran, shut down all Iranian diplomatic posts, restrict Iranian trade along the limitations of U.S. imposed sanctions, and toe the Saudi line in the Gulf Cooperation Council which usually takes anti-Iran positions.

Iran has long been a target of Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and its allies, and Qatar's is one of its major economic partners. With heightened sanctions against Iran being proposed in the U.S. Senate, the demands that Qatar cut off their economic ties with the nation represent a major attempt to further isolate them and establish a powerful anti-Iran military and economic bloc in the Middle East.

The list includes demands that Qatar cut off ties with any entity designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., a list which includes Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Qatar has been given 10 days to comply with the demands, and should they choose to comply they will be monitored for compliance for the next 10 years.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have accused Qatar of “funding terrorism,” an allegation that Qatar has denied. The nations have imposed a blockade on their neighbor, cutting off land, air, and sea traffic to the country.

The U.S. has backed the accusations levied against Qatar, with President Donald Trump saying “Qatar... has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.”

The bloc of gulf countries has threatened punitive measures against anyone within their own countries that expresses “sympathy or favoritism” to Qatar, with the UAE threatening its citizens with up to 15 years in prison for expressing support.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry has called the blockade a violation of sovereignty attempting to impose “guardianship” over the country, that is based on a “campaign of lies.”


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