Qatar says aid for Syria rebels and Islamists won't harm region

BERLIN (Reuters) - Qatar on Tuesday rejected criticism that it risked destabilising the Middle East by supporting rebels in Syria or the Muslim Brotherhood and said it was helping people but did not interfere in governments.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused Arab states who are arming and sheltering rebel fighters of actions that could "create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond", with Saudi Arabia and Qatar clearly in mind.