NEW YORK — Qatar wants the United Nations to have a greater role in resolving its standoff with a Saudi-led alliance after U.S. and U.K. efforts to find a solution among the parties reached an impasse, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.
After meeting U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Mohammed blamed “the stubbornness” of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt for the continuation of tensions. The dispute broke out in June after the four countries accused Qatar of backing extremism and imposed sanctions against Doha.
“It’s all about violation of international law and infringing the sovereignty of the state of Qatar,” Mohammed told reporters at the U.N. on Thursday. “This is the right place where we have to start to seek our options” to find a legal solution, he added.
The remarks highlight that the gap between the two sides isn’t narrowing despite diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and the U.K. “The dispute is at a standstill,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in Washington on Thursday.
