The author discusses a recent statement by Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, saying that four Arab countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain) are ready to end their crisis with Qatar since Doha changed its politics. However, the author questions this statement, pointing out that Qatar did not comply with the 13 demands made by the four countries in 2017.
The author goes through each of the 13 demands and shows how Qatar did not fulfill any of them. For example, Qatar did not reduce its diplomatic ties with Iran, did not shut down the Turkish military base, did not stop funding groups designated as terrorists, and did not submit periodic reports and audits on its compliance with the demands.
The author criticizes the four countries, particularly Egypt, for not being sincere in their demands and for not having a clear strategy. The author also praises Qatar for its resilience and for not giving in to the demands. The author concludes by expressing sadness and disappointment at the state of Egypt and its leadership, which is seen as being controlled by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Egypt's foreign affairs minister, Sameh Shoukry, stated that the four Arab countries are ready to end their crisis with Qatar since Doha changed its politics.
2. The four countries that severed relations with Qatar are Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain.
3. They did this on the dawn of the 5th of June 2017.
4. The four countries issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar with a 10-day time frame to carry them out.
5. Qatar had withdrawn its ambassador from Iran beforehand in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after its embassy was attacked in Iran on the 4th of January 2016.
6. Qatar returned its ambassador to Iran after one month of issuing the demands list.
7. The diplomatic representation between Qatar and Iran became the most active between them historically.
8. Qatar did not cut off any trade activity with Iran.
9. The trade between Qatar and Iran increased significantly after the crisis.
10. Qatar did not shut down the Turkish military base in Qatar and instead, groups of Turkish forces started arriving in Qatar after the crisis.
11. Qatar did not shut down Al Jazeera channel and instead, continued to air and even changed its policies to be more critical.
12. Qatar did not stop funding opposition media found in other countries.
13. Qatar did not extradite any opposition to the four countries.
14. Qatar did not stop all means of funding for groups or organizations designated as terrorists by the four countries.
15. Qatar did not designate the Muslim Brotherhood and HAMAS as terrorists.
16. Qatar did not insert hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, and the Muslim Brotherhood on the list of terrorists.
17. Qatar did not get along and stay in harmony with the Gulf region.
18. Qatar did not pay compensations to the four countries for the sustained damage.
19. Qatar did not submit all details and names of the opposition personnel it supports.
20. Qatar did not carry out the demands within 10 days.
21. The crisis is entering a year and a half, and none of the demands were carried out.
22. Qatar did not submit periodic reports and audits about its compliance with the demands for 10 years.