Doha: Hawar islands are an integrated part of Qatar

The Qatari foreign ministry announced on Saturday that Hawar islands which are under conflict between Doha and al-Manama are " an integrated part of the state of Qatar."

The Qatari news agency quoted a well-informed source at the ministry as saying that Qatar " once again stresses that al-Zabbara and Hawar islands have been always an integrated part of the state of Qatar."

This statement came in reply to a source at the Bahrain's foreign ministry who refused on Friday " claims " made by Doha on " its legitimate rights" in Hawar islands and called for " Bahrain's rights " to al-Zabbara island which is an area on the western coast of Qatar.

The Qatari foreign ministry added that these islands " Hawar and al-Zabbara " were not populated. He thereby denied al-Manama's statement which stressed that thousands of Bahraini people have been living for more than one century in these islands.