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Agence France-Presse

Saudi Arabia and Arab allies that have cut ties with Qatar began talks in Egypt on Wednesday on the Gulf diplomatic crisis, after Doha said their demands were impossible to meet.
The four Arab nations, which also include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, accuse Qatar of supporting extremism, a charge which it denies.
They gave the isolated emirate an extra 48 hours to meet their ­ultimatum after an initial 10-day deadline passed on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia said early on Wednesday that the four had received Qatar’s response and that they would respond “at the right time”.

Regional newspapers with links to their governments suggested the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain might be ill-inclined to accept Qatar’s response to their demands when they meet in Egypt.
The editor of the Abu Dhabi government-linked al-Ittihad newspaper wrote that Qatar, with a population of two million compared to Saudi Arabia’s 31 million, was “walking alone in its dreams and illusions, far away from its Gulf Arab brothers”.
It’s not about terrorism, it’s talking about shutting down the freedom of speech
Qatari Foreign Minister
Meanwhile, Qatar’s foreign minister called for “dialogue” on to resolve the Gulf diplomatic crisis, accusing the Arab states that cut ties of trying to undermine the nation’s sovereignty.
“Qatar continues to call for ­dialogue,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told the Chatham House think tank.
“We welcome any serious ­efforts to resolve our differences with our neighbours,” he said. “We don’t accept intervention in our own affairs”.
He accused Saudi Arabia and its allies of “demanding that we must surrender our sovereignty as the price for ending the siege”. Sheikh Mohammed on Monday handed an official response to the demands to Kuwait, which is mediating in the dispute, but its contents have not been disclosed.
On Tuesday, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a written reply from Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, according to the official Qatar News Agency.
Riyadh and its supporters have severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.
The Arab group have also ordered all Qatari citizens to leave their territories and taken various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.
The group also issued a list of demands, which included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.
‘They are bullies’: Gulf crisis deepens after Qatar’s neighbours issue list of demands
Doha has said it will not bow to pressure and that the demands seem designed to be rejected.
Sheikh Mohammed said the demands are “unrealistic and is not actionable”.
“It’s not about terrorism, it’s talking about shutting down the freedom of speech,” he said.
“The state of Qatar has adopted a very constructive attitude since the beginning of the crisis,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “We are trying to act mature and discuss the matter.”
The four countries have suggested further sanctions could be imposed if Doha does not comply, and have also accused Qatar of being too close to their regional arch-rival Iran.
The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the ­region, home to some of the world’s largest energy exporters and key Western allies who host US military bases.
Why Saudi-UAE campaign against Qatar and Iran puts China in a bind
Qatar’s gas riches have transformed it in recent years into one of the world’s wealthiest countries, a major international investor and a regional player that will host the 2022 soccer world cup.
Qatar has also pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan also said on Tuesday it was “premature” to discuss what further action the group might take against Qatar.
Any measures that are taken will be “within the framework of international law”, Sheikh Abdullah said. “Any independent state has the right to take measures against any party,” he added, urging Doha to listen to “the voice of reason and wisdom”.
Additional reporting by Reuters


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Qatar diplomatic crisis

Saudi Arabia prepares to meet with allies after Qatar dismisses ‘unrealistic’ demands

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s Foreign Minister, and Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah. Photo: EPA

epa06063499 A handout photo made available by the Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) shows Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's Foreign Minister (L) handing over a letter from Qatar's emir to the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah (3-L), in Kuwait, 03 July 2017. Al Thani handed over a formal letter from the emir of Qatar to the emir of Kuwait, the main mediator in the Gulf crisis, in response to diplomatic and economic sanctions from Saudi Arabia and its allies, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain on allegations that Qatar is funding extremism. Qatar was asked to agree to the group's demands or to face further sanctions after an initial deadline expired on 02 July, subsequently extended by a 48-hour dead line. EPA/KUNA HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Why Arab states are wrong to demand Qatar shut down Al-Jazeera as condition of resolving Gulf crisis

Staff members of Al-Jazeera International work at the news studio in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Reuters

epa06028064 Employees of Al Jazeera satellite channel, work at their Jerusalem bureau, Israel, 14 June 2017. Israeli media report that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to weigh closure of the station's offices. Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman said early this week 'Israel sees together with Arab states the danger in Al Jazeera and that it is a media in the style of Nazi Germany'. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

In this Thursday, June 8, 2017 photo, Al-Jazeera staff work at their TV station in Doha, Qatar. The Arab news network Al-Jazeera has been thrust into the center of the story this week as Qatar came under virtual siege by its Gulf neighbors, pressuring it to shut down the TV channel that has infuriated them with its coverage for 20 years (AP Photo/Malak Harb)

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Foreign ministers from the four countries that broke off diplomatic and trade relations with Qatar are due to meet in Cairo on Wednesday


Saudi Arabia prepares to meet with allies after Qatar dismisses ‘unrealistic’ demands

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Foreign ministers from the four countries that broke off diplomatic and trade relations with Qatar are due to meet in Cairo on Wednesday

Foreign ministers from the four countries that broke off diplomatic and trade relations with Qatar are due to meet in Cairo on Wednesday