CNN has exclusively published documents showing that Qatar made a series of secret agreements with its Gulf neighbors in 2013 and 2014 barring support for opposition and hostile groups in those nations, as well as in Egypt and Yemen.
The agreements themselves were not secret, but until now the exact wording in the documents was never released to the public. CNN obtained the documents from “a source from the region with access.”
The Saudi-led group of Gulf countries that have ceased diplomatic ties with Qatar have accused the tiny emirate of not complying with the two agreements.
Saudi Arabia and others accuse Qatar of supporting Hezbollah and other terror groups, in addition to backing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The two agreements, as broken down by CNN:
“In the first agreement, the countries also vowed not to support “antagonistic media,” an apparent reference to Al Jazeera — the satellite news station based in Qatar and funded by its government — which other Gulf states accuse of trumpeting opposition groups in the region including Egypt and Bahrain.”
“The second agreement specifically mentions Al Jazeera, and not other media outlets like the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya. After the agreement was signed, Al Jazeera had shut down a channel dedicated to coverage: Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr.”
The document surfaced as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Kuwait on Monday for talks aimed at resolving the crisis.
The 13 pre-conditions for restoring diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar are not realistic, even if some elements could form the basis for an eventual deal, Tillerson’s communications adviser, RC Hammond, said.
