Qatar given new deadline to meet Gulf demands

Arab states warn possible further sanctions

Four Arab states which accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed to extend until late on Tuesday a deadline for Doha to comply with a list of demands, as US President Donald Trump voiced concern to both sides about the dispute.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and says the demands, including closing Qatar- based al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there, are so severe that they seem intended to be rejected.

Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a new deadline to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf offi cial said that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al- Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates ( UAE) have raised the possibility of further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with the 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait.

According to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA, the four countries agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sunday’s deadline for compliance.

They have not specifi ed what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive offi cial guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said.

The four states cut diplo- matic and commercial ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, meddling in their internal affairs and advancing the agenda of regional foe Iran, all of which Qatar denies. Mediation efforts, including by the US, have been fruitless.

Trump spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in the UAE to discuss his “concerns about the ongoing dispute,” the White House said.

“He reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology. The president also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit’s goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability,” the White House said.