Qatar Slams EU Corruption Accusations, Could Impact Gas Deals

Qatar on Sunday (Dec. 18) condemned a corruption investigation by Belgium and the suspension of the Gulf state’s access to the EU parliament, saying it could “negatively” impact ties and natural gas supplies. A statement issued by a Qatari diplomat singled out Belgian authorities for criticism and insisted that “inaccurate” information had been used. Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP, is one of four people charged after raids that uncovered at least 1.5 million euros in cash. The money was suspected of being linked to a Gulf state, and the EU parliament last week called for Qatar’s access to the institution…