Saudi Arabia criticized Qatar on Monday for rejecting the outcome of recent Mecca talks on Iran, while the UAE accused Doha of “backtracking” on the summits’ conclusions.

Doha, which attended the three meetings in the holy city, expressed on Sunday it reservations over the outcomes as it had not been properly consulted.

Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, fired back.

“Countries… during summits announce their positions and reservations in the meetings according to customs and not after the meetings,” he said on Twitter.

Qatar’s foreign minister said Sunday that the concluding statements of the summits “were ready in advance and we were not consulted on them”.

“Qatar has reservations on the Arab and Gulf summits because some of their terms are contrary to Doha’s foreign policy,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Al-Araby broadcaster.

“The statements condemned Iran but did not refer to a moderate policy to speak with Tehran,” he said.

Al Thani also questioned the unity called for by neighboring countries amid an ongoing blockade against the Gulf country.

“The Gulf summit statement talked about a unified Gulf, but where is it amid the continuation of Qatar’s blockade?” he said.

For its part, the United Arab Emirates’ minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, criticized Doha for being “weak” under pressure.

“Seems to me that attendance and agreement in meetings and then backtracking on what was decided on is (a result of) pressure on the weak that lack sovereignty or have ill intentions or lack credibility, and it might be all these factors,” he tweeted late Sunday.

Source: AFP