Cut business ties to Qatar over Islamic State, ministers

warned
Cut business ties to Qatar over Islamic State, ministers warned - Telegraph
Stephen Barclay, the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, said: "Ifthere is sufficient
evidence to warrant inclusion on the US sanctions list,it begs the question of why the UK authorities
are setting a higherthreshold and deem business with such individuals acceptable."
Mr Barclay, who will raise his concerns with ministers, added: "There isgrowingconcern across
parties in Parliament as to why there appears to beso little evidence of action by Qatar and other
Sunni Gulf allies againsttheir own nationals who have directly funded - or facilitated the funding of-
terrorist groups, including Isil."
Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston,called for a rethink of
Britain's relationship with Qatar.
He said: "Here in the UK, we do big business with our ally Qatar, including inarms, and yet there are
countless reports, until recently at least, of thatcountry's government actively courting key
bankrollers of al-Qaeda and Isil.
"Its record of cooperating in counter-terrorism has, according to HillaryClinton, been among the
worst of any country."
He added: "If we are serious about countering groups like Isil, we need tofundamentally rethink the
nature of our relationship with the countries thatfuel them."
Qatar, the world's wealthiest nation per head of population, flatly denies itfinances terrorists.
However, critics argue thatat the very least it is accused of turning a blindeye to the
terror fund-raisers operating within its borders.
The latest investigation into terrorist financing discloses how a Qatari civilservant in its Ministry of
Interior was at the centre of a "core pipeline"funding al-Qaeda.
In recent weeks, a number of senior politicians and military figures havecalled for a review of
Britain's trading rules with Qatar, Saudi Arabia andKuwait, including possible sanctions if
fundraising is allowed to continuein those states.
The Treasury insisted last night that its own terrorist list was based onintelligence gathered by the
security services.
The minister in charge, currently Lord Deighton, the commercial secretary tothe Treasury, has the
final say on whether a name is added to the list.
A Treasury spokesman suggested that the burden of proof required for a suspectto be designated a
terrorist - and face sanctions and asset freezes as aresult - was probably higher in the UK than in the
US.
The spokesman said he could not comment on individual cases. "It is for theTreasury minister to
make designations, and that is based on informationfrom operational agencies such as MI5 and MI6.
"I would conclude that we have looked at these Qataris and decided not todesignate them as
terrorists or terrorist financiers.
"It is a very big decision to choose to sanction these people."
Only one Qatari citizen is on the UK list: Khalifa Muhammad Turki al-Subaiy.
Al-Subaiy, 49, a Qatari Central Bank employee, was jailed in Qatar for sixmonths in 2008 for his role
in financing the 9/11 mastermind Khalid SheikhMohammed. But, according to US Treasury
allegations, he continues to be atthe centre of a network raising funds for al-Qaeda in both Syria and
Iraq.
Terrorism financiers on the US list but not on the UK one include Abdal-Rahman bin Umayr al-
Nuaymi, who was designated as a terrorist in Decemberlast year by the US government.
Al-Nuaymi is accused by the US of transferring ?1.25 million a month toal-Qaeda in Iraq.
Al-Nuaymi is also on a United Nations sanctions list.