Gulf row: Qatar is given a further 48 hours to agree to demands
Saudi Arabia and three other Arab
states have extended the deadline for Qatar to accept a list of demands
or face further sanctions by 48 hours.
The initial deadline for
Qatar to agree to the group's 13 demands, including the shutting down of
the Al Jazeera news network, expired on Sunday.
The Gulf state has said that it will submit its formal response in a letter delivered to Kuwait on Monday.
Qatar denies accusations from its neighbours that it funds extremism.
The
state's foreign minister will travel to Kuwait on Monday morning to
deliver the letter, sent from the emir of Qatar to the emir of Kuwait,
who is the main mediator in the Gulf crisis.
On Saturday, Qatari
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani
said the state had rejected the demands, but was ready to engage in
dialogue under the right conditions.
Qatar has been under
unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions for weeks from Saudi
Arabia and its allies, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Bahrain.
On 23 June, the four countries, whose foreign ministers will meet on Wednesday to discuss the situation, set a deadline of 10 days
for Qatar to agree to their requirements, which include the closure of a
Turkish military base and the curbing of diplomatic relations with
Iran.
The imposed restrictions have caused turmoil in Qatar, an
oil- and gas-rich nation dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of
its population of 2.7 million. As a result, Iran and Turkey have been
increasingly supplying it with food and other goods.
Saudi Arabia,
Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain have accused Qatar of harbouring their
opponents - including political Islamists such as the Muslim
Brotherhood, which is viewed as a particular threat by the absolute
monarchies - and giving them a platform on the Al Jazeera satellite
channel, which is funded by the Qatari state.
They have since threatened further sanctions.
The situation is the worst political crisis among Gulf countries in decades.
What are the other demands?
According to the Associated Press news agency, which obtained a copy of the list, Qatar must also:
- Sever all ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been banned in a handful of Arab states
- Refuse to naturalise citizens from the four countries and expel those currently on its territory, in what the countries describe as an effort to keep Qatar from meddling in their internal affairs
- Hand over all individuals who are wanted by the four countries for terrorism
- Stop funding any extremist entities that are designated as terrorist groups by the US
- Provide detailed information about opposition figures whom Qatar has funded, ostensibly in Saudi Arabia and the other nations
- Align itself politically, economically and otherwise with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)
- Stop funding other news outlets in addition to Al Jazeera, including Arabi21 and Middle East Eye
- Pay an unspecified sum in compensation
An unnamed official from one of the four countries told Reuters
news agency that Qatar was also being asked to sever links with
so-called Islamic State, al-Qaeda and Lebanese Shia militant group
Hezbollah.
The demands have not been officially unveiled. Their publication has increased the friction between the two sides.
BBC
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