Saudi FM says working on list of Qatar ‘grievances’

Arab News
June 17, 2017

London, Jun 17: A list of grievances involving Qatar is being drawn up and will be made public soon, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Friday.Saudi

Al-Jubeir said Qatar should respond to demands to halt its support for “extremism and terrorism” which, he said, were being made by the whole world and not just Gulf states.

Speaking to journalists in London, Al-Jubeir said: “I would not call them demands. I would say it is a list of grievances that need to be addressed and that the Qataris need to fix.

“We are working on those with our Bahraini, Emirati and Egyptian partners in order to compile this list and present it to the Qataris, and I think it will be done fairly soon.”

Meanwhile, the permanent missions of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain at the UN in Geneva have issued a statement in response to the UN human rights commissioner’s comment on the measures taken by the three Gulf countries and Egypt against Doha, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

“The decision to cut ties with Qatar is a sovereign right of the states concerned and it aims to protect their national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism,” said the statement.

The statement added that the action was taken after all possible means were exhausted as a result of Qatar’s failure to comply with the Riyadh Agreement for the return of ambassadors, and its continued support, funding, and hosting of terrorist, extremist and sectarian organizations.

These decisions, the statement said, were taken in full conformity with the fundamental principles of international law.

For the sake of “our brotherly Qatari people... it was decided to take several measures aimed at addressing humanitarian and health cases, establish hot lines in each country so that cases can be reported and appropriate action be taken in a manner consistent with international obligations under international human rights law and our long humanitarian traditions,” the statement said.

It also said that the Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini missions “reaffirm their willingness to continue working with the parties concerned in order to achieve the desired results of this break-up, namely to maintain security, to combat terrorism and to safeguard the stability and well-being of the people of the region, including the brotherly Qatari people, in full respect for their human rights and international humanitarian law’s commitments.”

In another development, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday for talks with King Salman, continuing efforts to resolve the diplomatic crisis.

After meeting his Kuwaiti counterpart on Thursday, Cavusoglu was to travel from Jeddah to the holy city of Makkah where King Salman is based for the last days of Ramadan.

Turkey's chief diplomat was in Doha on Wednesday where he called for dialogue after meeting Qatar's emir and foreign minister ahead of his Saudi stop.

"Although the Kingdom is a party in this crisis, we know that King Salman is a party in resolving it," Cavusoglu said earlier.

"We want to hear the views of Saudi Arabia regarding possible solutions and will share with them our views in a transparent way... We pay great attention to our relations with them," he said.

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News Network
April 11,2020

Dubai, Apr 11: The UAE has conducted over 49,000 Covid-19 tests among UAE citizens and residents, it was revealed on Friday, using state-of-the-art technology in line with the 's plans to intensify virus screening in order to bring the disease under control.

The accelerated investigative measures helped detect 370 new coronavirus cases among various nationalities, all of whom are in a stable condition and receiving the necessary care.

This took the total number of infections in the country to 3,360, according to a MoHaP statement.

The Ministry also revealed the death of two patients suffering from Covid-19. Both of the deceased were Asian nationals and had pre-existing chronic illnesses. The total number of deaths has now reached 16.

The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to all patients, calling on the public to cooperate with health authorities and comply with all precautionary measures, particularly social distancing protocols, to ensure the safety and protection of the public.

The Ministry also announced the full recovery of 150 new cases after receiving the necessary treatment, taking to 418 the total of those now recovered from the virus in the UAE.

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News Network
March 23,2020

Dubai, Mar 23: The United Arab Emirates announced on Monday it will temporarily suspend all passenger and transit flights amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The Emirati authorities "have decided to suspend all inbound and outbound passenger flights and the transit of airline passengers in the UAE for two weeks as part of the precautionary measures taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19", reported the official state news agency, WAM.

It said the decision -- which is subject to review in two weeks -- will take effect in 48 hours, adding: "Cargo and emergency evacuation flights would be exempt."

The UAE, whose international airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are major hubs, announced on Friday its first two deaths from the COVID-19 disease, having reported more than 150 cases so far.

Monday's announcement came hours after Dubai carrier Emirates announced it would suspend all passenger flights by March 25.

But the aviation giant then reversed its decision, saying it "received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers" and will continue to operate passenger flights to 13 destinations.

Emirates had said it will continue to fly to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, the United States and Canada.

"We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services," said the airline's chairman and CEO, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

Gulf countries have imposed various restrictions to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, particularly in the air transport sector.

The UAE has stopped granting visas on arrival and forbidden foreigners who are legal residents but are outside the country from returning.

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News Network
June 23,2020

Riyadh, June 23: Saudi Arabia has decided to go ahead with the Hajj pilgrimage with strict health measures and protocols in an effort to prevent the spread of covid-19.

Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah and Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Muhammad Saleh Benten today addressed a joint virtual press conference today. 

Minister of Hajj expected that number of domestic pilgrims performing the pilgrimage this year will not be more than 10,000. He also confirmed that no pilgrims from outside the Kingdom will be allowed to perform Hajj this year.

Dr. Al-Rabiah said pilgrims should be less than 65 years of age and not suffering from any chronic diseases.

The Hajj pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, will this year only welcome a “limited number” of people from inside the Kingdom, authorities had said on Monday.

Every year, about 2.5 million pilgrims visit the holiest sites of Islam in Makkah and Madinah, which could make it a possible breeding ground for the disease.

To prevent COVID-19 from spreading among pilgrims, the health ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has developed the plan to ensure the safety of all visitors.

“We have worked with the Ministry of Health to develop preventative and precautionary measures and protocols that are needed to ensure a safe Hajj season,” Benten said.

Protocols:

1. No more than 10,000 people will be allowed to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.

2. All pilgrims will be tested before they reach the holy sites.

3. Only those under the age of 65 will be allowed to perform Hajj this year.

4. All pilgrims will be asked to self-quarantine after they complete the Hajj rituals.

5. All workers and volunteers will be tested before the Hajj pilgrimage begins.

6. The health status of all pilgrims will be monitored daily.

7. A hospital has been prepared for any emergency that occurs during the pilgrimage.

8. Social distancing measures will be enforced.

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SAN
 - 
Tuesday, 23 Jun 2020

Please check its 1000 or 10,000

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