The ME as a field of conflicting interests of players with lotsa dough and much ambition. Qatars investment in Britain is so extensive, and the Foreign Office is so anxious to win its favour, that some question whether UK diplomats will have the resolve to ask robust questions. If diplomats are focused on winning commercial contracts, there is a danger they will be reluctant to ask tough questions on the funding of unsavoury groups, said Mr Barclay. A Foreign Office spokesman insisted there was no such risk, saying: We encourage further progress to prevent terrorist financing from individuals in the [Gulf] region. We have honest and robust conversations with all our Gulf partners on these issues, including Qatar. ... Last month, Gerd Müller, the German international development minister, implicated Qatar in the rise of Isil. You have to ask who is arming, who is financing Isil troops. The keyword there is Qatar, he said.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 20:56:00 +0000
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