Saudi Arabia may dig canal to turn Qatar into an island

RIYADH: A Saudi official hinted Friday the kingdom was moving forward 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.

A senior Saudi official has fuelled speculation the kingdom intends to dig a canal between itself and Qatar amidst an on-going feud between the Gulf nations.

The project, which would turn the tiny peninsula into an island, is already being seen as an attempt to tighten the blockade placed on it by Saudi Arabia and other regional rivals.

“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 archrival, Iran — charges Doha denies.

n April, the pro-government Sabq news website reported government plans to build a channel — 60 kilometres (38 miles) long and 200 metres wide — stretching across the kingdom’s border with Qatar.

Part of the canal, which would cost up to 2.8 billion riyals ($750 million), would be reserved for a planned nuclear waste facility, it said.