Tribune News Network
Doha
The blockading countries had asked Qatar to give up its right to host the World Cup in 2022 in exchange for lifting of the siege imposed on it, Attorney General HE Dr Ali bin Fetais al Marri has said.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC, the Attorney General said,"They have asked us to give up organising the World Cup to have the boycott against Qatar lifted. They said if Doha wants to show its willingness to find a solution and lift the embargo, it must abandon the hosting of 2022 FIFA World Cup."
When asked if there was a way out of the Gulf crisis, he said,"I don't see any signs of a breakthrough. Today, none of these countries shows signs of wanting a dialogue to solve problems."
As for the accusations made by the blockading countries that Qatar is a haven for radical institutions, he said,"It is like a joke, as everyone knows that the three countries that accuse us of this face serious problems with regard to extremism. If you look back on the September 11, 2001 attacks, you will notice that the nationality of most of the terrorists in this operation was Saudi, while the operation was funded by Abu Dhabi, as the Wall Street Journal confirmed at the time. In contrast, no Qatari citizen has ever participated in any major terrorist acts against the West."
He said the demands of Saudi Arabia and Egypt to close Al Jazeera channel can be attributed to the fact that the two countries do not support freedom of transmission and broadcast of information that characterises this channel.
"I do not see any reason for the blockade other than envy. Why do the Qataris have more liberties than we have, why are they richer if Saudi Arabia is a country with more wealth? Why did Qatar get a chance to host the 2022 football World Cup?"
The Attorney General said,"Qatar cannot be considered a slave country, we are a free country that makes its own decisions."
He added,"We trust the efforts of the Americans to mediate in this conflict, given the good relations that Washington has with all the countries in the region. We should not forget that the largest US military base in the Middle East is in Qatar."