A general view of the Interior Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) during their meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in May 2012. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates suddenly recalled their ambassadors from Qatar, citing security concerns, on Wednesday.

The three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states issued a joint statement affirming that the move was take to “protect their security and stability,” adding that Qatar had failed to commit to the principles of the GCC.

The statement, which was published simultaneously by the Saudi, Bahraini and UAE state news agencies, is reproduced in its entirety below:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain would like to explain that:

Based on what is dictated by the principles of the tolerant Islamic Shari’a of the need for unity, cooperation and non-dissension in compliance with the verse in which Allah says in the Holy Quran “And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves,” and the verse, “And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall into no disputes, lest ye lose heart and your power depart.”

Committed to the principles on which the statute of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab States was based which provided for the realization of Member States of common destiny and unity of purpose that combine their peoples and the Council’s aiming to achieve coordination, cooperation and interdependence among member states in all fields until the unity and deepening and strengthening ties and linkages and existing cooperation between their peoples in various fields.

And emanating from the sincere desire of the leaders of the need to exert all efforts for closer ties between the GCC countries and according to the aspirations of the peoples of the need to maintain what has been accomplished of achievements and gains in the forefront of maintaining the security and stability of the GCC countries, which provided for the security agreement signed between the GCC countries as a collective responsibility borne by these countries. Their countries have made great efforts to communicate with the State of Qatar at all levels in order to agree on a course approach that ensures the movement within the framework of a unified policy for the GCC countries based on the principles set forth in the Statute of the Council of cooperation in the agreements signed between them including the security agreement, and a commitment to the principles that ensure non-interference in the internal affairs of any of the GCC countries, either directly or indirectly, and not to support all of the works of the threat of security and stability of the GCC countries from organizations or individuals, either through direct security work or by attempting to influence the political, and non-support for hostile media.

However, these efforts have resulted in the approval of the State of Qatar of that through the signing by Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, on the agreement following a meeting held in Riyadh on 19/01/1435 AH, corresponding to 11/23/2013 AD, in the presence of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, which was signed and endorsed by all the leaders of the GCC member countries, the three countries had hoped that the above mentioned agreement to be put into effect by the State of Qatar if signed.

Yet, in light of the passage of more than three months after the signing of the agreement with no necessary actions being taken by the State of Qatar to put it into effect, and based on the approach of openness and full transparency, which the leaders of the three countries were consistently adopting in all the issues related to high national interests of their countries and sensing the gravity of great challenges being witnessed by the region as well as variables relating to decisive issues affecting directly the security and stability of the GCC countries, the responsibility entrusted to the three leaders necessitated assigning their foreign ministers of their respective countries to clarify the seriousness of the matter to the State of Qatar and the importance of standing together against whatever might destabilize the fundamentals and be detrimental to the security of their countries and stability in the meeting, which was held in Kuwait on 17/04/1435 AH corresponding to 17/02/2014 AD in the presence of Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait; Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar and the GCC Foreign Ministers Council, in which they agreed that the foreign ministers of the Council to develop a mechanism to monitor the implementation of Riyadh agreement.

This was followed by a meeting of foreign ministers of the GCC countries in Riyadh on 03/05/1435 AH corresponding to 03/04/2014 AD during which big attempts were made to persuade the State of Qatar of the importance to take the necessary measures to put Riyadh agreement into effect and agree on a mechanism to monitor the implementation.

However, all these efforts have not resulted, with great regret, in the consent of the State of Qatar to adhere to these procedures, so the three countries have to start taking whatever they deem appropriate to protect their security and stability by withdrawing their ambassadors from the State of Qatar, as of today 04/05/1435 AH corresponding to 05/03/2014 AD.

The three countries are to confirm their keenness on the interests of all the peoples of the GCC member States, including the brotherly people of Qatar whom they consider as an integral part of the other peoples of the GCC member States, hoping that the acceleration of the State of Qatar to take immediate steps to respond to what had been agreed upon and to protect the march of the GCC countries from any rift while all the GCC people build high hopes on their GCC.

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