Qatar rejects ‘terror blacklist’ by Saudi, allies as groundless

Qatar rejects allegations of supporting terrorism after the Saudi regime and its allies blacklisted dozens of individuals and entities allegedly associated with Doha in yet another attempt to pressure the Persian Gulf state, with which they have cut all ties.

“The recent joint statement issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE regarding a ‘terror finance watch list’ once again reinforces baseless allegations that hold no foundation in fact,” the Qatari government said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a joint statement, including a dozen organizations and 59 people with alleged links to energy-rich Qatar in what they called a terror sanctions list.

The statement said they were subject to sanctions because of “the continuous and ongoing violations of the authorities in Doha of Qatar’s commitments and obligations.”

The Qatari government, however, defended its record in the region and said, “Our position on countering terrorism is stronger than many of the signatories of the joint statement – a fact that has been conveniently ignored by the authors.”