By Ali Sheikho

BAGHDAD

Iraqi Vice-President Iyad Allawi on Monday called for “genuine dialogue” between Qatar and a handful of Arab states that abruptly severed relations with Doha earlier Monday.

“Wisdom demands that we hold a conference at which genuine dialogue might be engaged in with a view to clarifying the situation,” Allawi said in a statement. 

He warned that the current crisis in inter-Arab relations “has the potential to destroy what remains [of stability] in the region and adversely impact several countries, including Iraq”. 

“It is regrettable that the situation in the Arab world has entered such a dangerous phase,” he added.

The unexpected row, he went on, threatened to have “serious consequences” for several states of the region, including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine.

Allawi went on to urge the Cairo-based Arab League to “play a decisive and leading role [in resolving the crisis] or risk losing the reason for its existence”.

He added: “The enemies of the Arabs -- the terrorists and tyrants -- will not relent in the absence of genuine Arab solidarity.”

Early Monday, a handful of influential Arab states -- including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Egypt -- all cut diplomatic relations with Qatar, citing concerns related to “national security”.