Qatar threatened on Sunday to use the gas card in the face of European criticism and the subsequent political boycott, against the backdrop of the bribery scandal provided to deputies in the European Parliament, which reflects the unprecedented tension experienced by Doha, which is not used to being the subject of continuous accusations.
The escalating disputes between Doha and the European Union, whether because of the issue of bribes or the file of persecution of workers in sports facilities that it built specifically for the FIFA World Cup, make Qatar in political isolation reminiscent of what it sought to do with Saudi Arabia, taking advantage of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country’s consulate in Istanbul.
And the name of Qatar has become associated with corruption and violation of human rights, which made French President Emmanuel Macron defend his visit to Doha on the pretext that its aim is to encourage his country in the World Cup finals, in order to calm criticism directed at him by the French opposition and representatives in the European Parliament who called for “the necessity of a political boycott.” for the FIFA World Cup.”
Observers note Doha’s loss of calm during the recent period, considering that this confusion is mainly due to its surprise, after it became the subject of constant scolding that it was not accustomed to.
◙ Qatar denounced the lack of cooperation of the Belgian government, which it considers a “close” partner and “supplies” it with liquefied natural gas
What increases Qatar’s provocation is that it finds itself besieged by corruption scandals and accusations of human rights violations after the end of the FIFA World Cup, on which it bet to polish its image and spent $200 billion, according to previous statements, and about $300 billion, according to recent reports.
Signs of tension began with Qatar’s response to official German criticism objecting to granting Qatar the right to host the World Cup matches. On Sunday, Qatar condemned an investigation into corruption by Belgium and a decision by the European Parliament to limit dealings with it, stressing that this could “negatively” affect relations and natural gas supplies.
An investigation opened in Brussels affected, in particular, Greek MP Eva Kaili, who is suspected of receiving money from Qatar to defend the interests of the country hosting the FIFA World Cup.
And Thursday, in Strasbourg, European deputies voted almost unanimously on a text “urging the suspension of the ability of representatives of Qatari interests to enter” the parliament’s headquarters, while a decision in this regard is up to its speaker, Roberta Metsola.
A Qatari diplomat said Sunday, “The decision to impose such discriminatory restrictions that limit dialogue and cooperation on Qatar before the end of the investigation will negatively affect regional and global security cooperation, as well as the ongoing talks about global energy shortages and security.”
Qatar is one of the major LNG producing countries in the world, along with the United States and Australia. Since the war waged by Russia on Ukraine, the number of European countries has grown to try to get closer to Qatar, in search of an alternative to Russian gas.
The European representatives said that they were “shocked” by the alleged corruption and money laundering operations, and decided to suspend “all work related to legislative files related to Qatar,” particularly the files related to the liberalization of visas for Qatar and Kuwait, as well as an agreement on overflights in European airspace.
◙ The name Qatar has become associated with corruption and violation of human rights, which made the French president defend his visit to Doha to encourage his country’s national team.
“We strongly reject accusations linking our government to misconduct,” the Qatari diplomat said in a statement.
He regretted “the judgments that are based on inaccurate information revealed by leaks without waiting for the completion of the investigation.”
In response to a journalist, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, said Thursday that she held “two meetings with representatives of the Qatari government in Brussels” and rejected Doha’s request to address the European Parliament.
She also said that she had refused an invitation from Qatar to attend the FIFA World Cup, citing her “concern about this country.”
Qatar tried to take advantage of the presence of the French President to ease its isolation, as it affirmed in a statement published on Sunday its “close” relations with several European Union countries, expressing “gratitude to the countries that have shown their commitment to these relations in the face of the current wave of attacks.”
On the other hand, Brussels held sole responsibility for the European decision. Qatar denounced the lack of cooperation of the Belgian government, which it considers a “close” partner and “supply” of liquefied natural gas.
“It is very disappointing that the Belgian government made no effort to communicate with our government to find out the facts when it learned of the accusations,” the Qatari diplomat said.
