Saudi Arabia hints it is going ahead with ‘historic project’ to turn Qatar into an island
A senior adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he was ‘impatiently waiting’ for details about when work will start
A Saudi official hinted on Friday the kingdom was going ahead with a plan to dig a canal that would turn the neighbouring Qatari peninsula into an island, amid a diplomatic feud between the Gulf nations.
“I am impatiently waiting for details on the implementation of the Salwa island project, a great, historic project that will change the geography of the region,” Saud al-Qahtani, a senior adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on Twitter.
The plan, which would physically separate the Qatari peninsula from the Saudi mainland, is the latest stress point in a highly fractious 14-month long dispute between the two states.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being too close to Riyadh’s arch-rival, Iran – charges Doha denies.
