# Katar: UE wezwała do przejęcia „wiodącej roli” w rozwiązywaniu obecnego kryzysu w Zatoce Perskiej

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air routes with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region, pisze Martin Banks.

Despite a frantic round  of shuttle diplomacy, led by the United States and Kuwait, there appears no end in sight to the dispute.

Now a regional expert has urged the international community, including the EU, to intensify the pressure on Qatar to participate in negotiations aimed at ending the crisis.

Speaking in Brussels on Tuesday, Dr Richard Burchill, of TRENDS, a leading independent think tank based in the Gulf, said the EU could join with the US and Kuwait in the ongoing mediation efforts.

Powiedział  there was “clear and overwhelming evidence” that Qatar had supported Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and helped to fund jihadist forces including groups linked to al-Qaida, Islamic State and other extreme Islamist groups.

Burchill told reporters: “There is very strong and clear evidence of this and that Qatar has been, and continues, to directly support terrorist organizations, including Islamic States.

“It stands out, among others, for making no effort to cooperate with the international community in tackling terrorism and cutting off sources of finance for terrorist groups.”

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Addressing a news briefing, Burchill, director of research and engagement at TRENDS, called on the EU to become more “engaged” in challenging Qatar on its alleged support for terrorism and extremist groups.

He said the US had lacked “consistency and  coherency” in its  response to the crisis, adding, “This is where we think the EU could bring its experience to bear in helping states to work together in resolving issues of common concern.

“The EU is seen as an honest player and could bring its influence, leadership and a sense of moderation to bear on this ongoing issue.”

“Europe has seen too many terrorist acts in recent times for it not become involved here. Qatar is a big problem for everyone because of its role in supporting terrorism. Everyone should have a stake in addressing this.”

Last month, the Gulf states unveiled a string of demands on Qatar, including the expulsion of named terrorists, changes to the output of al-Jazeera – the Doha-backed broadcaster – and an end to Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah and Iran.

Burchill said the measures should remain for the time being and also said additional “more targeted” sanctions should be considered unless the row is quickly resolved.

“A first step would be for Qatar to at least acknowledge that it has helped support terrorist organisations. This would be a key step,” he said.

EU foreign policy director Federica Mogherini  recently said the European bloc was “worried” that the GCC “might come disunited out of these tensions.”

But Burchill said he hopes the GCC will survive and said he is “optimistic” a resolution can be found.

Qatar is due to hold the 2020 World Cup but Burchill said any decision on whether it should be stripped of the right to stage such a prestige event must be left to FIFA, the sport's governing body.

Further comment came from Roberta Bonazzi, president of the Brussels-based policy institute, the European Foundation for Democracy, who also called on the EU institutions to play a “more decisive” role in resolving the conflict and the longer-term issue of funding for terrorist organisations.

Bonazzi said a “top priority” should be “better scrutiny” of the sources of funding for terrorist groups, adding, “We have to ensure that such groups are now allowed to spread their ideology. It should no longer be acceptable for countries like Qatar to help fund such behaviour."

She went on to say that the EU had been “naïve and short sighted” in the past in dealing with groups such as Muslim Brotherhood.

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