No new steps but boycott to go on
CAIRO: Foreign ministers from the four Arab states leading the boycott of Qatar expressed disappointment on Wednesday with the tiny Gulf nation’s “negative” response to their demands, but did not announce new sanctions against Doha.
“The response the four states got was overall negative and lacked any content. We find it did not provide a basis for Qatar to retreat from its policies,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said reading out a joint statement.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain have cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting terrorism and allying with regional foe Iran. Doha denies the charges.
Foreign ministers of the four states met in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the situation after a deadline they gave Qatar to meet 13 demands expired.
“The political and economic boycott will continue until Qatar changes its policies for the better,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said at a news conference.
Regional newspapers with links to their governments had suggested the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain might be ill-inclined to accept Qatar’s response to a list of 13 demands. Qatar officials say the demands are so draconian they suspect they were never seriously meant for negotiation.