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Representatives of the countries in the Saudi-led bloc boycotting Qatar fumed when Qatar's state minister for foreign affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, speaking at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab League, called Iran an "honorable state." "This must be a joke," said the Saudi ambassador to Egypt, Ahmad Al-Qattan, accusing Iran of scheming and maintaining spy networks against the Gulf states. Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry said that the Qatari envoy was "out of line" and accused the country of financing terrorism. The session at the summit, held in Cairo on September 12, deteriorated into a shouting match, caught live on TV. The excerpts presented were broadcast by the Egyptian ON TV and Nile News TV.
Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi: "The dispute is no longer about supporting terrorism. It is now about regime change.
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"Whatever happened to the charter of the Arab League? What happened to the Charter of the GCC? Who are we supposed to deal with? Are you accusing us of having ties with Iran? By Allah, Iran has proven itself to be an honorable country. Iran did not force us to open an embassy there or to close it. We supported Saudi Arabia and withdrew our ambassador [from Iran]. This was a sign of solidarity with Saudi Arabia."
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Ahmad Al-Qattan: "He said that Iran is an honorable country. By Allah, this must be a joke. We are talking about the Iran that schemes against the countries of the Arab Gulf. The same Iran that maintains spy networks in Kuwait, Bahrain, and many countries, has now become 'an honorable country.' The Iran that set fire to the Saudi embassy and many other embassies is 'an honorable country.' This is the path that Qatar has chosen. Now he is saying that his solidarity with Iran is for the sake of the Saudi Arabia. We don't want anyone to express solidarity with us for any reason whatsoever. We are perfectly capable, through the power of Allah, to confront anyone who tries to harm Saudi Arabia. Enjoy your relations with Iran. Allah willing, you shall soon regret them."
Sameh Shoukry: "I would like to respond to these insults and to that inappropriate speech, which even included some foul words, which should not be uttered in a venue such as this. We are all familiar with Qatar's history of supporting terrorism, and we know all about the weapons and money it provided to extremists in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and within Egypt. This has led to the martyrdom of many young Egyptians.
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"We do not accept what the Qatari envoy said. His words are out of line, and his manner is unacceptable."
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Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi: "What we've heard here is what we are seeing in the social media, on Twitter. It's nothing new to us. We hear it all the time.
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"Brother Ahmad Al-Qattan used a threatening tone. I don’t think he has the authority to say this..."
Ahmad Al-Qattan: "Yes, I do."
Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi: "Shut up when I'm talking."
Ahmad Al-Qattan: "No, you shut up. Mr. Chairman, since you have given Qatar the floor again, you will have to let me respond to what he is saying. I am not criticizing you, but since you gave the floor to Qatar again, the four countries will respond. If you want us to stay here until tomorrow morning, I have no objection."
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