Dubai: One of Dubai’s most well-known and outspoken personalities, Lt General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and Public Security, says the United Arab Emirates wants nothing more than stability and security for all of its Gulf neighbours.
And the UAE holds no ill will against any of its brother countries, he said, in an address to visiting forum delegates in Dubai on Tuesday.
More revelations of Qatar’s plots in Libya
Al Jazeera: How it incites terror, hatred
Crisis: Qatar fails to grasp the reality
Qatar-linked people, groups on terror list
Mohammad Bin Rashid poem urges Qatar to 'return to GCC'
But, amid a deepening dispute with Qatar over regional security, Lt Gen Dahi said he believes tensions are escalating in a war of words.
“Qatar crisis is not a disaster but on a scale of one to seven, they have reached the sixth level,” Lt-Gen Dahi said in his keynote speech to 114 delegates from 14 countries assembled for the first day of the three-day “Directorates and Media During Crises Forum”.
“We only wish stability and security to Qatar,” he said. “Some people think we are threatening the security and I say to them; ‘Enough lying.’”
Lt-Gen Dahi pointed to Saudi Arabia as leading a great mission to lead the Arab world to unity and legacy, and said UAE is standing with the kingdom,
“UAE stands with our brothers in Saudi Arabia as we believe in their message and leadership. The Kingdom is keen that the Arabic and Islamic nations be safe,” Lt Gen Dahi said.
He attacked Al Jazeera channel and accused the Doha-based news outlet of fabricating and distorting the news, deepening crises in the region.
“If Al Jazeera has credibility why don’t they say anything about the news about the Iranian base in Doha? We heard about this news but we are not sure if it is true or false. Al Jazeera always claims that they are free and have credibility and efficiency. We said it’s a boycott and they portray it as siege. This is slander.”
He noted a Washington Post article that cited US officials, who accused the UAE of orchestrating the hack of Qatar state news agency, which was denied by Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Lt-Gen Dahi said, “at the end of the article, the Washington Post said it was not clear if it was hacking — that means Qatar lied.”
The forum, meanwhile, was attended by Maj-Gen Dr Fahd Ahmad Al Shaalan, Dean of the Crisis Centre and Leaders Development in Naif Arab University for Security Sciences; Dr. Jamaan Rashid Bin Ragosh, President of Naif Arab University for Security Sciences and, Haifa Abu Gazaleh, Assistant Secretary General, Head of Media and Communication sector at League of Arab state.
They all agreed that media can be used as building tool or as demolition tool during crises.
