Qatar’s emir called on Friday for dialogue to resolve a political crisis pitting his country against four Arab states, saying any talks must respect national sovereignty, but the call was unlikely to end the rift. “Qatar is fighting terrorism relentlessly and without compromise, and the international community recognises this,” Sheikh Tamim said in the televised speech. Sheikh Tamim described the sanctions as a campaign that had been pre-planned against Qatar, calling it an act of aggression against Doha’s foreign policy. Sheikh Tamim vowed to withstand the sanctions and said he had instructed the Qatari government that Qataris should become more self-reliant and called for the economy to be opened up to foreign investments. “The time has come for us to spare the people from the political differences between the governments,” he said, urging dialogue.

Source: Dhaka Tribune July 21, 2017 21:45 UTC