NICOSIA — Qatar has relented to Arab and Iranian pressure and
pledged to
close the Israeli trade mission in the emirate.
The announcement ended a week of intense pressure by Saudi Arabia, Iran
and Syria for Qatar to sever relations with Israel. Qatar did not follow
other countries — such as Oman, Morocco and
Tunisia — in severing relations with Israel.
"The state of Qatar has decided to close the Israeli trade
representative office in Doha to consolidate Islamic solidarity," the
official Qatar News Agency said.
The announcement was welcomed in Arab and Islamic countries. Iran and
Saudi Arabia said they would now send leaders to the Organization of Islamic
Conference summit, to be held in Doha on Sunday.
Syria is also calling for a boycott of next week's meeting of European
and Mediterranean ministers in the French port of Marseilles. The
Euro-Mediterranean Meeting of Foreign Ministers is scheduled for Nov. 15 and
will include Israel.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shaara told his French counterpart,
Hubert Vedrine, that Damascus wants the meeting postponed. "Syria's position
is in line with the decisions of the Arab summit and because of the bloody
events in Palestine," the official Syrian news agency said.
