As the crisis between Qatar and its GCC neighbours continues to loom over the Gulf, analysts say the European Union could play a vital role in contributing to the solution.
In a talk on the Gulf Diplomatic Crisis and its Relevance for Europe that took place in Brussels on Tuesday morning, they spoke of issues of cooperation among states in dealing with terrorism, Qatar’s “poor record” in this regard and using the European example to help contribute to resolving the matter.
“We are primarily looking at Qatar's extensive practice in supporting terrorism and extremism,” said Dr Richard Burchill, one of the speakers and the director of engagement and research at Abu Dhabi think tank Trends Research and Advisory.
“This is important because the global and regional efforts to counter and overcome terrorism and extremism cannot tolerate one state acting contrary to collective efforts. The 2013-2014 agreements with Qatar attempted to put in place a collective stance on stopping support for terrorism and extremism and Qatar chose to disregard this.”
He said this issue was crucial as countering terrorism and extremism was a global concern. “Qatar needs to cooperate with its neighbours and the wider world in stopping support for terrorism and extremism,” said Dr Burchill. “Where there are designated terrorists in its territory it needs to act and it needs to cooperate with the GCC.”
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain imposed sanctions on Qatar on June 5, cutting all ties with the country over accusations it is financing terrorist and extremist groups. Egypt announced on Monday that Qatari nationals, with some exceptions, will as of July 20 be required to apply for a visa to enter the country.
Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, also said on Monday that the solution must be found within the region but that it must be guaranteed from outside.
Experts say Europe has a role to play in showing how states with different views can cooperate. “There is an opportunity for the institutions of Europe to step in and take a more direct role in the matter,” said Dr Ahmed Al Hamli, president and founder of Trends, in an article on euractiv.com this week. “European cooperation is built on the foundations of ideological and political differences. The region has been successful in building institutions that instill confidence and cooperation among states – Europe needs to bring these experiences to the Gulf to support global security.”
Marc Martinez, senior associate at Abu Dhabi think tank The Delma Institute, said the question of terrorism is crucial in Europe. “After the recent attacks in London and Manchester, British citizens have been more assertive in their demands for concrete answers to the ever-growing terrorist threat,” he said. “The European Union is divided on counter-terrorism and although its members will all pledge on the necessity to cooperate, they continue to develop their own national counterterrorism strategies.”
He added that the concept of sovereignty in the age of transnational terrorism is in question.
"Because there is no unified European strategy to combat terrorism, Gulf countries cannot expect any form of assistance from the EU itself, although there is most likely a lot of experience to gain from studying the difficulties European countries faced in their attempt to mutualise the fight against terror,” Mr Martinez said.
“Cooperation is an absolute necessity but the modalities of this cooperation will be key as it will mutually engage the participants. Negotiation should include, for example, the frequency, reciprocity and automaticity of the exchange of intelligence.”
Mr Martinez said increasing the existing level of counterterrorism cooperation between members of the EU and the GCC will most likely have to wait for the peaceful resolution of the current tensions with Qatar.
But meanwhile, according to Dr Burchill, “To have a GCC member not cooperating but also supporting the forces one is trying to overcome is detrimental to the national efforts".
He continued: “The main challenges in tackling terrorism and extremism is getting agreement on who is a terrorist and the extent of threats from extremism. But the United Nations has a designated terrorist list, the United States has one as well, and it is clear that cooperation in these situations is needed, but then states need the political will to cooperate.
“So far, Qatar is inclined to pursue its own policies but this is now becoming destabilising when the region needs more stability, not less.”
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (11.30pm)
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
Monday Hoffenheim v Augsburg (11.30pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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FIGHT CARD
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Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
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Jetour T1 specs
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Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
British Grand Prix free practice times in the third and final session at Silverstone on Saturday (top five):
1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.063 (18 laps)
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:28.095 (14)
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:28.137 (20)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:28.732 (15)
5. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:29.480 (14)
THREE
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Stage 2 results
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 04:18:18
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:04
4 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates
5 Rick Zabel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation
General Classification
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 07:47:19
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:12
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:16
4 Nikolai Cherkasov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:17
5 Alexey Lutsensko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 00:00:19
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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Batti Gul Meter Chalu
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Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The five pillars of Islam
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Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
