MOSCOW (Sputnik) — After Qatar became the center of a diplomatic crisis last week, a number of Qatar-based media faced restrictions. Al Jazeera’s Amman and Riyadh bureaus were shut down. Saudi Arabia demanded that Qatar immediately changed the policy and the management of Al Jazeera, so that broadcasting did not run counter to the interests of the countries in the Persian Gulf and the Arab world.
"We have been harmed by the broadcast of the Al Jazeera TV channel, with its hostile TV programs defaming Bahrain as well as its leadership and people, and also [we were harmed by] their documentaries. They are always inviting terrorists, agitating for violations of the order… Qatar must stop supporting terrorist organizations, including financially, and to stop working their channels up against us. Both material and informational support [of terrorists] is interference in our sovereignty," the ambassador said, answering a question about the conditions of the restoration of relations with Qatar.
On June 5, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt announced that they would break diplomatic ties with Qatar, blaming the latter for supporting terrorist organizations and destabilizing the situation in the Middle East. Yemen, the Maldives, Mauritius, Mauritania and the eastern-based government in divided Libya also announced a break in relations with Doha, while Jordan and Djibouti said they would lower the level of diplomatic contacts with Qatar. Senegal and Chad recalled their ambassadors from Doha.
