Calls for internationalisation of holy sites ‘a declaration of war’ – Saudi

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister called what he said was Qatar’s demand for an internationalisation of the Muslim haj pilgrimage a declaration of war against the kingdom, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said on Sunday.

“Qatar’s demands to internationalise the holy sites is aggressive and a declaration of war against the kingdom,” Adel al-Jubeir was quoted saying on Al Arabiya‘s website.

“We reserve the right to respond to anyone who is working on the internationalisation of the holy sites,” he said.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said no official from his country had made such a call.

However, Qatar did accuse the Saudis of politicising haj and addressed the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion on Saturday, expressing concern about obstacles facing Qataris who want to attend haj this year.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain previously issued a list of 13 demands for Qatar, which included curtailing its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, shutting down the Doha-based Al Jazeera channel, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its relations with Iran.

On Sunday, foreign ministers of the four countries said they were ready for dialogue with Qatar if it showed willingness to tackle their demands.

Read more: Saudi, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain say ready for Qatar dialogue with conditions