UAE eyes ‘new set of relations in Gulf’ amid Qatar spat

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A top official in the Arab quartet isolating Qatar says the bloc must “go on without” it and pursue “new regional relationships” – phrases that hint at a more severe break with the tiny energy-rich Gulf state.

The United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Relations Anwar al-Gargash made the comments on Wednesday on Twitter, saying it’s time to think about a “new set of relations in (the) Gulf replacing old ones.”

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar in early June, accusing it of supporting extremists. Qatar denies the charge and sees it as politically motivated.

All but Egypt are members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, a decades-old alliance including Qatar that has been strained by the crisis.