Qatar says Saudi-led move to bar citizens breach of rights

DOHA:

A Qatari official has said an ultimatum issued by Saudi Arabia and its allies for the emirate's citizens to leave is a violation of human rights that requires UN intervention.

Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri, chairman of Qatar's national human rights committee, said that the Saudi-led move went far beyond a simple diplomatic dispute and would break up families and disrupt young people's education.

"We have moved from severing diplomatic relations to a comprehensive blockade of international conventions and human rights conventions, not only for Qataris but also for citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries," Marri told a press conference on Tuesday evening. "Qataris who study in Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain, we've had information that they were requested to leave immediately and they were not allowed to continue their final semester exams," he added.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt gave Qataris 14 days to leave, breaking diplomatic relations with Doha over its alleged "support for extremism".

Marri said one infant with Emirati citizenship was banned from leaving the UAE with his Qatari mother when she tried to fly to Doha to visit her family. He said Bahrain had allegedly asked the daughter of a woman divorced from her Qatari husband for 20 years to leave Manama because she holds Qatari citizenship.

Marri said he would raise his concerns with a team from Amnesty International on Wednesday and would also appeal to UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to intervene.

Qatar in talks with Turkey and Iran to provide food, water

Qatar is in talks with Iran and Turkey to secure food and water supplies amid concerns of possible shortages two days after its biggest suppliers, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, cut trade and diplomatic ties with the import-dependent country.

"We are in talks with Turkey and Iran and other countries," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, adding that the supplies would be brought in through Qatar Airways cargo flights. The official said there were enough grain supplies in the market in Qatar to last four weeks and that the government also had large strategic food reserves in Doha.