UAE to punish anyone showing sympathy for Qatar
DUBAI/DOHA: The UAE tightened the squeeze on fellow Gulf state Qatar on Wednesday, threatening anyone publishing expressions of sympathy toward Doha with up to 15 years in prison and barring entry to Qataris.
The UAE-based newspaper Gulf News and pan-Arab channel Al-Arabiya reported the crackdown on expressions of sympathy with Qatar.
“Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias toward Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the UAE, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form,” Gulf News quoted UAE AttorneyGeneral Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi as saying.
On top of a possible jail term, offenders could also be hit with a fine of at least AED500,000 ($136,000), the newspaper said, citing a statement to Arabiclanguage media.
Slogans against and in support of Qatar have dominated Twitter in Arabic. Newspapers and television channels in the region have also been engaged in a war of words.
UAE airlines Etihad and Emirates said all travelers holding Qatari passports were currently prohibited from traveling to or transiting through the emirates.
Foreigners residing in Qatar in possession of a Qatari residence visa would also not be eligible for visas on arrival in the UAE, an Etihad spokesman said in an e-mail.
“Tensions are still high and mediation efforts by Kuwait have yet to lead to a concrete solution, so investors will likely remain on edge,” said one Dubai-based trader.
Qatar has said it will not retaliate for the curbs.
A Qatari official, however, said the rift was pushing Doha in the direction of leaving the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), founded in 1981, “with deep regret.”
Bans on Doha’s fleet using regional ports and anchorages are threatening to halt some of its exports and disrupt those of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Taiwan’s Evergreen and Hong Kong’s OOCL, two of the world’s largest container-shipping companies, said they had suspended shipping services to Qatar because of port restrictions.
Traders on global markets worried that Riyadh’s allies would refuse to accept LNG shipments from the Gulf state, the world’s largest LNG exporter, and that Egypt might even bar tankers carrying Qatari cargoes from using the Suez Canal.