ISLAMABAD: Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived here on Tuesday for talks on his country’s diplomatic row with the Arab quartet ahead of a fresh mediation effort by Turkey.

The timing of the Qatari foreign minister’s trip set off speculation that he was here in connection with the corruption case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family being heard by the Supreme Court.

A letter by Qatar’s former prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani is one of the important documents submitted by the Sharif family to the apex court in their defence.

Foreign Minister Al Thani, during his brief stay in the federal capital, met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and won his support for mediation for resolving the crisis that is in its second month.

Marriyum Aurangzeb dispels impression foreign minister’s visit is linked to Panama Papers case

“The people and government of Pakistan wish to see a diplomatic solution to the problem between brotherly Islamic countries,” Mr Sharif told the visiting foreign minister and also praised an earlier such effort by Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar later this week (July 23-24).

Turkey, a key Pakistani ally, has sided with Qatar in its confrontation with the four Arab countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt — and has also set up a military base in the oil-rich tiny peninsula. The closure of the Turkish base is one of the main conditions of Saudi Arabia and its allies for resolving the dispute.

Key Western countries — France, Germany, Britain and the United States — have over the past few weeks also tried their hand at defusing the crisis that has engulfed the Middle East, but have so far been unsuccessful.

Both sides have firmly stuck to their positions and haven’t shown any flexibility. The Qatari position, which was also shared by FM Al Thani with PM Sharif, is that it is ready to talk to the quartet as long as the parleys do not infringe on its sovereignty and are in accordance with the international law. Qatar’s response to the conditions set by the four Arab countries for ending their boycott was also dictated by this position.

The quartet, meanwhile, is adamant that there could be no progress as long as Qatar does not accept their demands. Saudi Arabia and its allies accuse Qatar of supporting extremism and terrorism and hindering their efforts to isolate Iran.

Mr Sharif, who during early days of the crisis made a mediation effort that was rebuffed by the Saudis, expressed his concern over the continuation of the crisis.

“The prime minister stressed that Pakistan maintains close, friendly and cooperative relations with all GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] countries and is concerned at the recent crisis in Middle East,” he said.

FM Al Thani, according to a PM Office press statement, noted “the warm reception” extended by Mr Sharif and reiterated Qatar’s desire to further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.

In her interaction with journalists outside the Parliament House, Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb dispelled the impression that the visit of the foreign minister of Qatar had anything to do with the Panama Papers case, according to APP.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2017