Qatar told to shut down Al Jazeera

Abu Dhabi, June 23: Four Arab states that have boycotted Qatar have reportedly handed the country a list of 13 demands, including some likely to infuriate Doha and exacerbate the region’s worst crisis in decades. Qatar has 10 days to comply with the demands.

The UAE advised Qatar to take the list seriously or the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf would turn into a “divorce” with Doha.

According to Reuters, the list drawn up by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt includes a demand to shut down the Al Jazeera news network, halt the development of a Turkish military base in the country, reduce diplomatic ties with Iran, cut ties to extremist organisations, among others.

Anwar Gargash, the UAE state minister for foreign affairs, issued the warning more than two weeks into the oil-rich region's worst diplomatic crisis in years.

He also accused Qatar of leaking a document containing the demands.

The demands were not officially unveiled but Dohabased Al-Jazeera had revealed the document saying they were handed to Qatar by Kuwait, which is mediating in the crisis.

“The leak (of the demands by Qatar) is an attempt to abort the mediation in a childish act that we have grown accustomed to from our brother,” Mr Gargash wrote on Twitter.

“It would be wiser that (Qatar) deal seriously with the demands and concerns of the neighbours or a divorce will take place,” he said.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has said that any call to close down the network was an attempt to silence freedom of expression. — Agencies

It would be wiser that (Qatar) deals seriously with the demands and concerns of the neighbours or a divorce will take place. — ANWAR GARGASH, UAE Minister